


We Meet Again

by lilredwiththehood



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Sequel, bechloe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2018-06-08 05:18:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 88,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6840508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilredwiththehood/pseuds/lilredwiththehood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after winning Worlds, the Bellas meet for a reunion at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves.  And five years has totally been enough time for Chloe to get over her crush on Beca, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.

 

Chloe sits in Aubrey’s office at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves, staring out the window as she anxiously shakes her foot.  She feels herself bite her bottom lip, a nervous habit she's had since high school.  The room is silent, aside from the sound of a pen that she must have unconsciously stolen from the blonde’s desk tapping against her leg.  

 _Five years_.  It has been five years since graduation and five years since the Bellas won Worlds.  Five years since they entered the real world and went their separate ways.  

It has been five years since Chloe moved back to Florida.  Five years since she decided what she wanted to do with her life.  Five years since she enrolled in a program to become a certified teacher.

It has been three years since she became an official kindergarten teacher at an adorable little elementary school in Tampa.  Three years since she met Matt, a first-grade teacher at said elementary school who wound up becoming her boyfriend about a year ago.

It has been three years since she’s seen Beca in person.  The summer after graduation, Chloe visited LA for a few days, and the summer after that, Beca flew to Florida.  They had also tried to coordinate their obligatory visits to Georgia – Beca to see her dad and Chloe to see Aubrey – so they could meet up.  For the most part, it worked out pretty well.  Plus, they Skyped all the time, so they never went too long without seeing each other.

But the summer Beca came to Tampa was the last time they saw each other in person.  Beca’s music career began to take off and Chloe began teaching.  They had tried to meet up, but booking flights across the country became way too difficult.  So, they had to resort to Skype dates.  But with Chloe’s school schedule and Beca entering her busy season, even those became harder to plan.  Eventually, they became nonexistent.  

Texting was successful for awhile, but even that couldn’t last.  As time passed, conversations became shorter and less personal.  It eventually got to the point where other than sending each other the occasional a capella-related joke, they didn’t really talk.  That doesn’t mean Chloe didn’t wonder how Beca was doing in LA all the time, though.

It has been almost two years since they have had a real conversation.  Well, at least up until about a month ago when the Bella group chat was reactivated to plan their five year reunion weekend.  Chloe and Beca had begun texting again, but conversations were still short and mainly about planning the weekend.

"Chloe."

Chloe is pulled out of her daze to see Aubrey staring at her.  "Hm?"  She follows the blonde's gaze to the tapping pen.  She stills her hand with an embarrassed smile.  "Oh.  Sorry."

"Are you planning on becoming a drummer in the near future or are you just nervous?" 

"I'm fine."

"Really?  Because your anxiety is so thick right now that I'm beginning to take it on.  Look at my handwriting.  My A's are all wonky."

Aubrey turns the paper so Chloe can see.  Chloe thinks her A's look fine.  "Sorry," she apologizes again.  Aubrey stares her down, making Chloe feel slightly self-conscious.  "What?"

"This is weird.  You never get nervous.”  She puts down her own pen and pushes her paperwork to the side, giving the redhead her full attention.  “What’s going on?”

“I’m kind of freaking out a little bit,” Chloe admits.

“Why?  It’s the Bellas.  Your sisters.  They love you.”

“It’s not them I worry about seeing.  It’s _her_.”  She steals another glance out the window as if talking about the other woman made her magically show up.

“Ah, the pouty little gremlin,” Aubrey reminisces.  

“Bree!”

Aubrey puts her hands up in surrender.  “I’m sorry.  It’s a habit.”  

Chloe unconsciously begins tapping the pen again and Aubrey reaches for her hand to stop it, getting a sheepish smile in return. 

“Why are you nervous to see Beca?" Aubrey continues.  "I’d think you’d be excited to see her of all people.”

Chloe has a talent of making even the most awkward situations comfortable, and she prides herself on that.  Yet she can’t seem to get rid of the nervous butterflies in her stomach.  She hasn’t spoken to Beca – like _really_ spoken to her –  in so long.  She doesn’t even know what she’s like anymore.  What if her favorite tiny brunette has changed?  What if she’s a completely different person?  What if they have nothing to say to each other anymore?  What if it _is_ awkward?

Chloe places the pen back in the cup on the desk.  “I am.  It’s just we kind of fell out of touch over the past few years.”

“How the hell did that happen?  You stick to the people you love like crazy glue.”

“Well, she got busy with her music and then I got busy with my teaching...life just got in the way I guess.”

“No.  Most people make that lame excuse, but you’re not most people.  You’re Chloe.  You wouldn’t just give up like that.  Especially on one of your best friends.”

Chloe’s eyes find the floor.  How does Aubrey always manage to see right through her?

“What happened, Chlo?”

Chloe brings her eyes back up to meet the blonde’s.  “You’re right.  Life didn’t get in the way.  At least not enough to break up our friendship.”  She takes a breath.  She has never admitted this before.  “I stopped trying.”

“Why?”

Chloe rolls her eyes, embarrassed.  “You know why.”

Aubrey gives her a knowing smile.  “Feelings.”

Oh yeah.  _That_.  Chloe may have had a small crush on Beca in college.  Well, maybe a little more than a small crush.  More like massive feelings – ones that made her fall in love with her best friend.  But she knew those feelings would never be returned, and she had forced herself to push them aside.  It became increasingly difficult, especially once Beca told her she and Jesse broke up about a month after she moved to LA.

“She was far away, we were talking less and less and I just...It hurt too much.  So I decided to let her go.  It was time I moved on.”

Aubrey raises her eyebrows.  “And _have_ you moved on?”

Chloe gives an embarrassed smile.  “I’ll always love Beca Mitchell.”  She steals a glance out the window again.  “But yes, I’m over her.  I have Matt now and I love him.”

And she means it.  But she can’t ignore the tugging feeling in her gut that reminds her of the real reason why she is afraid to see Beca again.  What if those feelings she has worked so hard to shake suddenly come back?  What if she has to go though the heartbreak all over again?

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the doorframe.  She and Aubrey both look to see Shannon, the lodge’s secretary, in the doorway.  “Aubrey, the Bellas are starting to arrive.”

“Thank you, Shannon,” Aubrey tells her, and the woman disappears as quickly as she came.  The blonde looks to Chloe.  “We’ll see if you’re right about that.”

Chloe puts her head in her hands.  “Oh no.  I don’t think I’m ready for this.  It been so long since I’ve seen any of them.”

Aubrey rises from her desk and grabs Chloe’s hand.  “Hey.  Take a deep breath.”  Chloe does as she’s told.  “You can do this.”

The redhead smiles, already feeling better.  “How have I survived living so far away from you?”

“No idea,” Aubrey answers and tugs at Chloe’s arm.  “Come on.  Let’s go kick off this Bella reunion.”  After taking another breath, Chloe rises and follows the blonde.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Chloe emerges from the cabin, her ears are met with three loud squeals that all seem to harmonize.  When she sees their source, she returns the squeal.  Stacie, Jessica, and Ashley run her way and attack her with a group hug.

Instantly, Chloe’s body is flooded with a feeling of relief.  She’s with her Bellas again, and they can cure anything.

“Oh-em-aca-gee you guys look great!” Chloe exclaims.

“So do you!” Jessica smiles.

“Yeah, especially since you’ve left those boring teacher clothes at home,” Stacie teases and pokes Chloe in the side.  "Look at those legs!"

“Hey, I have to wear long skirts and pants.  The kids see me from a different angle,” she replies.

“Did I hear somebody say we’re leaving clothes at home?  Do I finally get to wear my birthday suit?” a voice with an Australian accent asks.

The Bellas turn to see Fat Amy approaching with a random lodge staff member carrying her bags.  The women squeal in harmony again and share another group hug.

The same act is repeated every time a new Bella arrives, and Chloe’s heart flutters more each time out of pure joy.  She hadn’t seen most of them in years, and she didn't realize just how much she had missed them.  Just as she had predicted her last year at Barden, all of the Bellas went their separate ways.  

Beca went to LA and got a producer job at an up-and-coming record label called Infinity.  

Stacie proved to be the very definition of girl power after she managed to graduate college and become an engineer after an incident with a broken condom blessed her with her daughter, Mia, who is now two.  Stacie could not have loved her any more, and she even made Cynthia Rose the godmother.

Speaking of Cynthia Rose, she moved back to Georgia with her wife a few years ago to get involved with the growing music scene.  Turns out, she has a talent for writing songs.

Legacy has been pursuing her dream of writing music as well, and she is currently doing a co-op at Residual Heat, following in Beca’s footsteps.

Flo decided to use her gymnastic abilities to become a choreographer for a dance company in New York.  And apparently, being a hothead gets great results out of the dancers, so Chloe is told.

Jessica and Ashley stayed in Georgia and currently live in neighboring apartments.  Jessica became a therapist and Ashley got involved in social work.  About a year ago, they began dating identical twins.  Nobody was surprised by that.

Amy has done it all.  She even became a professional jelly wrestler for a short period of time, just like she said she would.  Since then, she and Bumper have been traveling the world and reeking havoc just about everywhere.  She is very consistent with updating her Instagram account with their shenanigans, and it never fails to make Chloe laugh out loud.

And Lilly?  Well, have they _ever_ known what she's up to?

The women all sit on the patio and make small talk as they wait for Beca, the final Bella, to arrive.  From what Chloe can gather, they are talking about Kommissar.  She recently got in a Twitter feud with John Smith, that annoying announcer guy from the ICCAs, which has gotten her some bad press.  Normally, Chloe would be in the middle of the conversation, happy that their nemesis got what was coming to her, but today she’s a little distracted.  She can’t peel her eyes away from the parking lot, just waiting to see a car pull up and a certain tiny brunette emerge from it.  Her heartbeat quickens just thinking about it.

“I mean, I understand wanting to start something for attention.  But with him?” Stacie critiques.

“Dude doesn’t know how to fight.  I don’t even think he was the one who responded,” Cynthia Rose comments.

“Yeah, he didn’t make any sexist comments.  It definitely wasn’t him,” Aubrey agrees.

“I bet it was his partner.  What’s her name?  Gail?” Jessica suggests.

They are interrupted when Chloe’s phone chimes.  She pulls it out of her pocket and glances at the screen.  “It’s Beca.” 

All of the Bellas lean in closer, expectantly.  

“What’d she say?” Amy asks.

“Yeah, where is she?” Flo questions.

Chloe unlocks her phone and reads the message aloud.  “‘Hey.  I’m running a little late.  Work crisis.  Just start without me and I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Please don’t hate me.’  Nervous smile emoji.”

“Ugh, of course,” Stacie groans.

“Look, I love her and everything, but do we think she’s going to show up at all?” Cynthia Rose asks.

“Well, she’s already in Georgia.  In the group chat she said she was staying at her dad’s house,” Emily points out.

“That doesn’t mean she can’t hop on a plane back to LA,” Flo comments.

“Guys, of course she’s coming,” Chloe answers, sure of herself.  “It’s Beca.  She’ll pull through.  She always does.”  She looks to Aubrey, who has been watching her reaction the whole time.  “Shall we start on the tents?”

 

* * *

 

The lodge has made a few changes over the past five years, one of which is its tent policy.  Apparently, after some incidents occurred, Aubrey decided that it was no longer beneficial for teams to share a tent.  So now, each Bella gets her own small individual tent to build.

Chloe finishes hers early – she has had some practice over the past year since Matt’s family likes to go on camping trips – and she decides to begin setting up Beca’s tent next to hers.  Legacy quickly joins her.

“Be honest. Do you really think she’s still coming?” the younger woman asks.  She looks a bit disappointed.

“I hope so,” Chloe replies, winding the twine. 

Emily pounds a stake into the ground and thinks for a moment.  "Do you think she'll be different?  Like, do you think LA changed her?"

Chloe sees Emily staring up at her with her large puppy dog eyes.  The poor girl has grown up so much, yet she is still so innocent.

Chloe just wants to wrap her into a hug, but forces herself to put on a reassuring smile instead.  "She's probably changed a little bit.  People change and grow, it's inevitable.  But I think she's still going to be the Beca we know and love, ya know?"

“I hope you're right.  I really miss her.”

Yeah.  Chloe hopes she's right, too.

 

* * *

  

The Bellas all manage to stay in one piece while building their tents, and after they check a third time to make sure no trees are going to fall, they migrate back to the patio to wait for their captain.

This time around, they are actually allowed access to the outdoor minibar, and Chloe cannot be more thankful.  It's about time she had something to calm her nerves.

The Bellas continue to make small talk and sip their drinks, but Chloe can’t bring herself to pay attention.  With each minute that passes, her stomach twists into tighter knots.  She feels her teeth sink into her lower lip, initiating the nervous habit.  Beca is her best friend, nothing more, nothing less.  So why is she so anxious? 

Fat Amy suddenly sits up straighter.  Her eyes find the sky and she gives the air a quick sniff.  “I think Shawshank is here.”

“What?” Stacie asks.

“How could you possibly–” Ashley is cut off by the sight of a familiar tiny brunette emerging from around the side of the lodge.

Chloe’s heart pounds and she can feel her breath hitch as she lays eyes on Beca.  The shock of being in the same place as her best friend again hits her hard, and she can’t bring herself to stop staring.

Beca looks pretty much the same as she did when they graduated.  Same hair, same style, same resting bitch face.  Same smile that is reserved only for the Bellas.  That smile finds its way onto her face as the rest of the Bellas squeal and flock towards her, attacking her with a group hug.  Chloe somehow manages to move with them, joining in on the hug.

“The Bellas are back, bitches!” Amy whoops and the rest of the women cheer, ready to kick off the weekend.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know there was a lot of build up and not a lot of Bechloe in this chapter. There's more action in the next one, I promise!


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe hangs back as some of the other Bellas, mainly Legacy, grill Beca about what life is like as a hot-shot music producer.  She’ll have plenty of time to catch up with the tiny brunette later.  Plus, she needs some time to get over the initial shock of seeing her best friend again.  So, she heads over to the minibar to get a new drink, knowing she needs something to further calm her nerves.

"You met Usher?  Oh-em-aca-gee that's so cool!" she hears Legacy exclaim.

"Relax, dude.  It was very brief and he is  _not_ a morning person," Beca explains.

"What was it -"

" _Girls!  We run this motha -"_ plays from Beca's phone, cutting Legacy off.  Beca glances at the screen and rises from her seat.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this."  She holds the phone to her ear and gives a quick "Yo" as she heads around the side of the lodge.

The bartender hands Chloe the dirty shirley temple she had ordered with a smile, then disappears, probably to get more lemons or something.  Chloe takes a sip of the drink and embraces the warm feeling that builds in her chest.  

So far, so good.  Everyone has seemed to fall into their old groove.  Jessica and Ashley watch everyone and make secret comments to each other.  Cynthia Rose and Stacie are sharing drunken hookup stories.  Flo still keeps it real, and she makes sure everyone else keeps it real, too, never hesitating to call them out on their bullshit.  Amy, well, there wasn’t much of a chance of her changing.  She fits in just about everywhere she goes.  Legacy sits next to Beca with wide eyes, taking in every word that comes out of her idol’s mouth.  Well, before her phone rang, of course.  And Lilly...wait, where did she go? 

As she watches Amy and Flo argue over which place has the best burritos in New York City from her place at the minibar, Chloe raises the glass to her lips again.

“Hey, nerd.”

She freezes at the familiar voice.  She swallows quickly and turns to see the tiny brunette smiling at her.  And suddenly, her heart is pounding because she has missed that smile. 

“Hey,” she breathes.

Beca plops onto the stool next to her.  “Where’s the bartender?”

Chloe peels her eyes away from the tiny brunette to scan the patio.  “Oh.  I have no idea.  He literally just walked away.”

“Figures,” Beca says with a huff.  She grabs Chloe’s drink from the counter and takes a sip.  She grimaces as she swallows.  “Damn, I forgot how sweet you like your drinks.”

“Well I’m sorry that I don’t like beer,” Chloe laughs.

“Hey, don’t hate on beer."  She points the glass at Chloe.  "It’s cheap and low maintenance.”  She then braces herself and takes another sip.  

Chloe studies her for a moment, taking in her best friend’s presence.  Sure, it's Beca, except something seems a little different.  The scrappiness is gone now, and she carries herself with more confidence, like a real music producer.  To be honest, Chloe finds it a little intimidating.  As the fear of LA changing Beca crosses Chloe's mind, Beca makes a show of wincing as she swallows the drink, and the fear is gone as quick as it came.  Yup, same old overdramatic Becs.

As she lets out another giggle, Chloe's nerves dissipate and she finally feels calm.  She forgot just how much she missed her dorky best friend.  “I’m glad you came,” she hums as she grabs the glass from Beca and takes a sip.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“ _I_ knew you would.  But you did have that work crisis...”

“Ugh, that.  It’s like my team took stupid pills or something.  Not gonna lie, it would have been much easier to hop on a plane back to LA and fix the problem at the studio, but I wasn’t about to miss this.  Plus, the last time I tried to ditch you guys, I got stuck in a bear trap, so...”

Chloe giggles at the memory of the tiny brunette suspended in the bear trap, screaming for dear life.  She then catches Beca staring at her.  “What?”

Beca shakes herself out of it.  “Sorry.  I just forgot how freakishly huge your smile is.”

Chloe’s mouth drops open in mock hurt. “Beca Mitchell, how could you forget my smile?”  Beca brings Chloe’s drink to her lips to avoid answering.  “Forgetting my smile is like...like forgetting that I barged into your shower freshman year.”  And Chloe has successfully broken the ice.

Beca nearly chokes on the drink, eliciting a smirk from Chloe.  “Really?  Nine years later and you’re still going to tease me about it?  Will I ever be able to live that down?”

“Nope,” Chloe says, popping the p.

Before Beca can comment, Aubrey makes an announcement.  “Alright, ladies.  If you’d follow me to the mess hall, dinner is served.”

The Bellas rise from their seats and head inside.  

“Praying for mac and cheese,” Beca says before taking one last swig of the drink.

Chloe giggles as she stands.  “Come on, dork.”

Beca places the now empty glass back on the bar and follows Chloe inside.  

 

* * *

 

To Beca's luck, dinner does come with mac and cheese (Aubrey knows her Bellas too well).  The women spend most of dinner laughing into their food as they joke about old times.  They are almost finished when Beca's phone decides to ring.

“ _Girls!  We run this motha -”_ The Bellas’ eyes all fall to their captain, who scrambles to pull her phone out of her pocket and check the screen.

“Shit.  I gotta take this.  Sorry.”  She rises from her seat and holds the phone to her ear, giving a quick “Yo” much like the last time.  

Some of the Bellas roll their eyes and others give annoyed sighs as she exits.  

After a few moments, the awkward silence becomes too much for Chloe.  “She did have that work crisis earlier,” she tries.

“Keyword: earlier,” Amy points out.

“She’s probably just tying up loose ends.  I’m sure she’ll be back right back,” Chloe says.

“Yeah, just to tell us she’s getting on a plane back to LA,” Stacie mumbles as she pushes her food around her plate with her fork.

The Bellas exchange knowing looks, much like the one parents give each other when their kid has disappointed them.  Chloe’s eyes land on Emily, who stares at her plate, clearly let down.

“She’s not getting on a plane,” she states, her eyes locked on the youngest Bella.  “She wouldn’t do that.”

“You sure about that?” Cynthia Rose asks dryly.

“Guys, she could have left hours ago, but she stayed.  For us.”

Legacy finally brings her eyes to meet Chloe’s and gives her a small smile.

“She’ll be back,” Chloe says firmly.

 

* * *

 

The Bellas keep up their conversation, this time getting in a heated discussion about what Stacie's daughter should be for Halloween.  Once Cynthia Rose successfully convinces Stacie that no goddaughter of hers is allowed to be something as lame as a ladybug, the conversation dies down and the room falls to an uncomfortable silence.  

Chloe looks around the table at the empty plates.  Her eyes land on Beca's, which still holds a few forkfuls of now cold mac and cheese.  The Bellas all follow her gaze to the empty seat.

“Is it time for s’mores yet?” Amy groans, breaking the silence.

“We have to wait for Beca,” Jessica argues.  

“But that’s going to take forever!” the Tasmanian complains.

“She’ll be right back, huh Chlo?” Stacie asks pointedly.

Chloe releases the lip she realizes she has been biting.  “It hasn’t been _that_ long.”

Flo taps her phone screen, causing it to light up so she can check the time.  “It’s been thirty minutes.”

“Should we start placing bets on how long it takes before she breaks the bad news?” Cynthia Rose suggests.

Lilly pulls a wad of hundred dollar bills out of her pocket and slams it on the table.  She then proceeds to say what Chloe thinks to be “twelve minutes and forty three seconds,” but she isn’t completely sure since it comes out so quietly.

“Guys, come on,” Chloe interjects.  

“I’ll be generous and give it another half hour,” Amy declares and pulls a wad of singles out of her bra.

“Amy!” Chloe scolds.

“I know being a ginger is disappointing enough, but face it, she’s going to leave.”

Chloe feels her body tense.  Not only is she upset that the Bellas have lost faith in their captain, but she’s also afraid that they might be right.  She just got Beca back, and it feels great.  She’s not ready to lose that feeling again.  At least not just yet.  “She’s not leaving.”

“Come on, Chlo.  I love her as much as you do, but she’s totally out of it.  I mean she’s here, but she’s not here,” Stacie comments.  

“Maybe we should just let her go home.”  It comes from Legacy, who brings her disappointed gaze from her lap to Chloe.

Eight pairs of eyes burn holes through Chloe’s body.  She can’t take it anymore.  “Screw it.  I’m going to go find her."  She rises from her seat.  She adds a quick “Don’t miss me too much” and gives them a wink before heading out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Chloe takes a few deep breaths and she walks down the hallway.  Truth is, she didn’t just leave to find Beca.  She left because she needs to pull herself together.  Her hands are all sweaty and her bottom lip hurts from her biting it so much...when did that even happen?  She wishes Aubrey hadn’t left to give a vocal lesson (yes, she began doing that on the side about a year ago) because she could really use her wisdom right now.  She would be able to tell her why she’s so frazzled.  And why _is_ she so frazzled all of a sudden?  Why does her stomach drop at the thought of Beca leaving?  She has lived without the tiny brunette for five years.  Why does the idea of going back to that make her want to vomit?

Her thoughts are interrupted when she spots a small figure down the hall.  There she is, the tiny brunette with giant headphones over her ears, sitting on the floor with her back against the door of Aubrey’s office.  Her laptop sits on her thighs and her hands glide over the keys.  Chloe recognizes all of these symptoms.  Beca is in her mixing zone.

Chloe approaches and counts all the way to twelve before Beca notices her standing there and removes her headphones.

“What are you doing over here?” Chloe asks.

“I had to Facetime my team and Aubrey’s office has the strongest wifi in the place.  Except it’s locked, so...”  Her voice trails off and she presses a combination of keys on her laptop, which Chloe recognizes as her saving her mix.  “I’m sorry.  I’ll be done soon, I promise.”

Chloe slides her back down the wall so she can sit next to Beca.  “Whatcha working on?”

“Apparently one of our artists is coming in early to listen to our demos, but my team somehow lost them at the studio, so I had to touch them up and resend them earlier so my boss can look them over.  Now he wants me to make more changes.”

“That’s so unfair.  It’s your day off.”

“It happens.  It’s part of the job.  Artists are unpredictable.  We can’t help it if they decide they want their demos early.”

“Makes sense.”  Chloe’s eyes fall back to the laptop screen.  “Can I watch?”

Beca raises her eyebrows.  “You’d rather sit here than hang with the other Bellas?”

Chloe shrugs.  “I like watching you mix.”

Beca glances back at her screen, then unplugs her headphones, causing music to play from the speakers.  She turns the volume down a few notches and Chloe scoots closer to better see the screen.

Beca returns to working and as Chloe watches, she is hit with an overwhelming calmness.  

Back at Barden, watching her best friend mix became her happy place.  She’s not quite sure how it happened.  All she knows is that during the times she felt particularly stressed about her future, a competition, or god knows what else, she always found herself sitting in what became her designated spot on Beca’s bed, watching her work her magic.  Something about the way Beca’s eyes fixated on the screen and her hands floated over the keys made Chloe feel at peace, like for once, everything would be okay.  She is hit with that same feeling now.

She tilts her head to the side to rest it on Beca’s shoulder.  She feels Beca tense for a moment, then relax a second later.  She gives a content hum and she feels Beca tilt her head to rest it on top of hers.  It doesn’t feel awkward and it doesn’t feel romantic.  It just feels...natural.

They remain in that position for a few minutes until Beca breaks the silence.  “How mad are they?”  The question swims with guilt and it makes Chloe’s heart break.

She raises her head so she can look at Beca.  “What?”  

“I’m not an idiot, Chlo.  I know what you guys are thinking.  This is just going to be a repeat of the last retreat, right?  The Bellas all bond while I sit on the sidelines and choose work over them again?”  She sighs and nervously taps her fingers on the base of her keyboard.  “I'm just as shitty of a captain as I was back then."

“Hey, stop beating yourself up over the last retreat.  We have all moved on.  And you are _not_ a shitty captain, you’re an amazing one.  You know that and the Bellas know that.”

“Then why can I hear them all rolling their eyes right now?”

“They just miss you is all.”  Beca is finally brave enough to peel her eyes away from her screen and meet Chloe’s stare.  “They haven’t seen you in years, and now you’re finally in the same room as them.  They just want to spend time with you.  They’re just frustrated that your work keeps stealing you away.”  

Beca runs a hand through her hair, which Chloe recognizes as Beca’s own nervous habit from five years ago.  Some things never change.

She gives Beca’s thigh a quick squeeze.  “They’re your Bellas, Becs.  They love you to death.”

“And you?”

She’s surprised by the question, but quickly recovers by flashing Beca a smile big enough to show her teeth.  “I’ll love you to death _and_ after.”  She playfully pokes the tiny brunette in the cheek. 

Beca smiles, and Chloe thinks she can see her cheeks take on a hint of pink.  “I’m glad you’re here, Chlo.”

The sincerity of the comment gives Chloe chills.  Still smiling, she rests her head back on Beca’s shoulder and hums, “Me, too."

 

* * *

 

They stay that way for fifteen minutes, until Beca finally finishes her demos and puts her laptop away for good.  They rejoin the Bellas, who have moved outside to watch the sunset.  They light the bonfire, finally satisfying Amy’s desire for s’mores.  To Chloe’s surprise, Beca decides to take the spot on the bench next to her rather than go for one of the single seats.  Not that she’s complaining.

Now, as the Bellas devour their s’mores and continue to talk about their lives at home, Chloe can’t help but enjoy how normal it feels to be sitting so close to her best friend after three whole years.  She smiles as she rotates her marshmallow in the fire.

“He said he was a professional jelly-taster,” Amy explains.

“And you believed him?” Flo asks.

“Amy, I thought Chloe and I taught you better than that,” Beca comments as she rotates her own skewer.

“Whatever.  I was still adjusting to the whole ‘being tied down’ thing.  And he did this cool thing with his tongue where he -”

“Oh my god!  Do not finish that sentence!” Beca cuts her off as the rest of the Bellas cringe and cover their ears in anticipation.

“What?  He just -”

“Nope!  Eat your s’more.”

The Bellas give a sigh of relief and uncover their ears when Amy rolls her eyes and shoves her entire s’more into her mouth.

Still focused on the conversation, Chloe slides the marshmallow off the skewer, but her fingers are suddenly met with an itching pain.  She hisses a quick “Ow!” and the marshmallow hits the ground before it can reach her mouth.  The Bellas watch it land at her feet.

“That was the last marshmallow!” Amy scolds, still chewing.

“Sorry, it was hot,” Chloe says, shaking out her hand to cool her fingers off.

“You have a fire crotch.  It’s impossible for you to get burned,” Amy argues.

Chloe ignores the comment and stares at the marshmallow on the ground.  She’s not going to lie, she’s pretty disappointed.  She wanted that marshmallow.

“Hey, Chlo?”

She turns to see Beca blowing on her own skewer that she has just removed from the fire.

Beca nods towards her mouth.  “Open.”  She begins to slide her marshmallow off of the skewer.

“Becs, no.  It’s fine, really.”

Beca frees the marshmallow and shakes her head.  “No.  You dropped yours.  It’s like that rule that when a kid drops their ice cream cone, the parents have to buy them a new one.”  She flashes Chloe a smile, claiming her victory.  “Open.”

Chloe tries to hide the fact that she’s blushing by rolling her eyes as Beca feeds her the marshmallow.  And it’s the best marshmallow she’s ever had.  She gives Beca a gooey white smile in return.

“Ay, get a tent,” Flo groans.

This only causes Chloe’s smile to grow wider, and Beca rolls her eyes as a cover.

 

* * *

 

It’s not long after that the Bellas decide to turn in for the night, knowing they’ll need to be well-rested for whatever Aubrey has in store for them tomorrow.

After sending Matt a quick goodnight text, Chloe curls up in her sleeping bag, finally allowing herself to relax.  Today went pretty well in her opinion.  She managed to avoid all awkwardness.  Beca is still Beca, and they still get along like two peas in a pod.  She can’t help but feel giddy over the fact that she gets two more days with her.  But that’s normal, right?

She is about to doze off when the sound of her phone vibrating pulls her out of her sleepy daze.  She looks at the lit up screen and is surprised to see Beca’s name at the top of it.  

_You awake?_

**Yeah.  What’s up?**

_Unzip your tent for me?_

Chloe raises her eyebrows.  

**_????_ **

_Just do it._

Then another text comes in.

_Please?_

Chloe’s heart pounds.  Beca is coming into her tent.  Why is Beca coming into her tent without any explanation?  What is happening?  Pushing her thoughts away, she sits up and pulls at the zipper of her tent.

**You’re good.**

She hears Beca’s tent unzip, then re-zip.  A second later, Beca dives into her tent and quickly scrambles to zip it shut.  The tiny brunette stares at the now-secured door, alert as she catches her breath.

Chloe stares at her with raised eyebrows.  “Miss me already?” she asks with a smirk.

Beca finally peels her eyes away from the entrance.  “What?”

“You kinda just snuck into my tent, Becs,” Chloe giggles.

“Oh.”  She then realizes what Chloe is implying.  “Oh my god, no!  It’s not like that, you perv!” she scolds and gives her a light shove.

“So then what’s your excuse, missy?” Chloe asks. 

“Don’t freak out, but I’m, like, ninety five percent sure there’s a bear outside.”

“So you left the safety of your own tent and risked getting closer to it just to come in here?”

“I– It was a nervous instinct, I don’t know.  Shut up.”  Beca waves her away, flustered.

“Aw, you want me to protect you?” Chloe teasingly coos and playfully pokes her in the side.

Beca swats her hand away.  “I’m already regretting this.”

“No, you’re not,” Chloe sings.

They hear leaves rustle outside and Beca nearly jumps into Chloe’s lap.  “You’re right, I’m not,” the tiny brunette says, her voice raising an octave out of fear.

“Are you sure it’s not just Amy going to the bathroom?” Chloe suggests.  “You know her prime pee time is the middle of the night.”

“It’s definitely not her.  I could hear her snoring from three tents down.”

A branch snaps outside.  This time, Beca releases a panicked “Oh my god!” and buries herself into Chloe’s side.  

As a reflex, Chloe puts her arm around her.  She can’t help but giggle at how quickly the tough Beca Effin’ Mitchell has turned into one of her kindergarteners.  “Looks like we’ve finally found something that scares you more than social interaction,” she points out with a smile.

Still clinging to Chloe, Beca unburies her head.  “Dude, why _aren’t_ you freaking out?  We could get eaten!”

In reality, Chloe probably should be at least a little afraid.  But she can’t bring herself to feel the least bit of fear, not while she’s in a tent with Beca.  Not while Beca is curled into her side like this.  That calmness she gets whenever Beca is in close proximity is back, and she's not about to let something as stupid as a bear take it away. 

“There’s nothing we can do about it.  Unless you want to go outside and chase it away?”

“I’m good.”

 Another branch snaps and the tiny brunette buries herself deeper into Chloe, if that is even possible.  “Those bear traps aren’t doing shit,” she hisses.

“Looks like they’re better at catching people than bears.”

Even though it’s dark, Chloe can see Beca glaring at her.  “I’m glad you’re getting so much enjoyment out of my suffering.”

There is more rustling of leaves, and Beca clings to Chloe tighter.  Chloe comfortingly rubs her back.  “Becs, it’s not going to bother us.  I promise.”  Beca doesn’t move.  Chloe gently pulls away.  “Hey.  Lay down.”  She lifts the opening of the sleeping bag and scoots over, making enough room for Beca.  The tiny brunette squeezes in next to her.  Chloe can feel the other woman’s heart pounding.  She knows for the sake of her own sanity she shouldn’t do this, but she can’t stand the thought of Beca being uncomfortable.  She scoots closer to the tiny brunette so her face is almost against her neck and wraps an arm around her stomach, giving her a quick squeeze.  “Go to sleep.  I’ve got you.”  After a moment, she feels Beca tilt her head so it is resting against her own.  After a few more seconds of silence, she feels Beca’s heart rate slow down and her breaths become more even.

“Night, Becs,” Chloe hums.

“Goodnight, Chlo,” Beca whispers back.

With a smile on her face, Chloe takes in the essence of her best friend and drifts off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe is jolted out of her peaceful slumber by the sound of somebody blowing a whistle outside of her tent.  

“Up and at ‘em, Bellas!”

She suddenly feels movement under her arm and realizes that she is still cuddling Beca.  Yeah, that happened.

The tiny brunette replies to the yelling blonde’s rude awakening with an annoyed groan, causing Chloe to giggle.  She had forgotten how much Beca was not a morning person.

“Good morning,” she hums to the tiny brunette.  

Outside the tent, Aubrey blows the whistle again.  “Wake up!  Let’s go!  Time’s a-wasting!”

Beca rubs her eyes, then closes them again, refusing to acknowledge that she'll have to get up.  “Who thought having a reunion here was a good idea?”

Chloe uses the hand that is not around Beca’s stomach to prop up her head.  "Guess what."

“Hm?”

“We’re still alive.  We didn’t get eaten, just like I said we wouldn’t.”  She removes the hand from Beca’s stomach and uses it to poke her in the cheek, only to receive a lazy shove in return.

Aubrey blows the whistle a third time.  “Beca!  Chloe!  Amy!  Cynthia Rose!  Get your asses out here before I make you do cardio!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the dictator herself, Ms. Aubrey Posen,” Beca grumbles as she finally opens her eyes.

Chloe giggles and sits up.  “Come on.  Let’s shut her up.”

She emerges from the tent to see Aubrey and the rest of the Bellas waiting.  She gives a cheerful “Good morning!” 

Some of the Bellas give her a less cheerful “good morning” in response while others just give a drowsy smile.  Except after a moment, the Bellas’ expressions simultaneously change and their eyes dart from her to something moving behind her.  Confused, Chloe turns to see what they are looking at with such surprise.  

Beca stumbles out of the tent, zipping up her sweatshirt.  “We’re not here for team-building this time, Posen.  Could you chill with the whole drill sergeant thing?”

Stacie whispers a high pitched “ooooh” while Cynthia Rose mumbles a low “oh shit” and Amy hums a quick “about time.”  Legacy’s smile is wide enough to fit a watermelon.

Chloe giggles.  She knows she’s about to get teased mercilessly for this, but she doesn’t mind.  She can play along, and quite frankly, she has missed the jokes.  But poor _shy_ Beca has quite a day ahead of her.

It takes the tiny brunette a second to register that everyone is staring at her.  “What?” she asks.  The rest of the Bellas giggle.  She self-consciously takes a glance at Chloe’s tent, and her eyes widen in panic when it hits her.  “Oh.  No.  _No_.  It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?  Because it looks like you and Chloe shared a tent last night,” Stacie points out with a smirk.

“And made Bloe love,” Fat Amy sings.

“No!  We– That’s not–” Beca stumbles over her words and mindlessly waves her hands in the air, flustered.  “There was a bear.”

“A bear?” Flo asks, not believing her.

“Was it in your tent?” Cynthia Rose asks with a wink.

“What?” Beca asks, confused. 

“Oh, I get it!  The ‘bear’ is an innuendo,” Amy concludes.

“No!  There was really a bear!” Beca protests.  The other Bellas give fake nods of belief and Amy makes air quotes.  The tiny brunette helplessly turns to Chloe.  “Tell them!”

“Alright, ladies.  How about we let poor Beca get some food in her system before we tease her?” Chloe suggests.

“To the buffet!” Amy announces and begins the procession to the mess hall.  The rest of the Bellas eagerly follow.  Beca and Chloe hang towards the back of the group.

“That was the best you could do?” Beca asks her.

“Relax, Becs.  They’re just trying to make you squirm.”  She pokes Beca in the ribs, only to be swatted away.  “They haven’t had the chance to do it in awhile.”

“Why do they get so much enjoyment out of this?”

“Because you’re cute when you’re nervous.”  Beca shoots her a glare, which only causes her to giggle.  “Come on.  Let’s get some caffeine in you before you murder someone.”

 

* * *

 

Beca makes her way to the coffee pot.  She grabs a cup and begins to pour the heavenly dark liquid into it.  As she puts the pot back, she realizes somebody is behind her.  She jumps, coming very close to spilling her coffee.

“Jesus, Posen,” she hisses and steps to the side to grab the milk.

“Sorry,” Aubrey apologizes as she begins filling her own cup, but it’s pretty clear that she isn’t sorry at all.  They may have learned to get along years ago, but it doesn’t mean they don’t still like to get under each other’s skin.

Beca can feel the blonde glaring at her as she pours the milk into her cup.  She puts the carton down.  “Don’t look at me like that.”

Aubrey throws on an innocent expression as she puts down the coffee pot.  “Like what?”

“You know like what.”  Beca grabs a stirrer and swirls her coffee around.  “I haven’t even been awake for thirty minutes.  What could I have possibly done in that time to piss you off?”

As Aubrey reaches for the milk, something red and bouncy catches Beca’s eye from the table.  Then it hits her.  “Oh my god, _that’s_ what this is about?  Me sleeping in Chloe’s tent?”

Aubrey raises her eyebrows as she pours the milk into her coffee, giving Beca her answer.

“Jeez, how many times do I have to say it?  I did _not_ bang her!  Or kiss her!  Or anything!  There was a fucking _bear_!” the tiny brunette whispers loudly.

“I’m not saying there wasn’t,” Aubrey says calmly as she stirs her drink.  “Just remember that Chloe is my best friend.  And anyone who hurts my best friend, my _sweet_ and _innocent_ best friend, is a dead woman.”

Beca blinks at Aubrey, who nonchalantly reaches around her and grabs a lid.  The blonde puts on a cheerful smile.  “I’m glad we had this little talk.”  With that, she walks away.

 

After taking a second to recover, Beca makes her way to the table and heads for the empty spot next to Chloe.  As she is about to sit, Stacie puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.  “Woah, woah, woah.  Back it up, Cap.  That seat is mine.”

Beca takes a step backwards with raised eyebrows.  She watches Stacie sit down.  “Oh my god, are we back in high school?” she asks in a fake-dramatic tone.   She puts a hand on her chest in fake-shock.  “Am I not allowed to sit with the cool kids?”

“Don’t act all hurt.  You got enough of Chloe last night.  Let us have a turn.”  Stacie puts an arm around Chloe and playfully brushes up against her while Jessica, who is on the other side of the redhead, rests her head on her shoulder.  The rest of the Bellas give a collective “yeah” in agreement.  Chloe just beams up at Beca, loving the attention.

Beca grunts in frustration.  “For the last time!  I did _not_ have sex with Chloe!  Everything that happened in that tent last night was PG!”

“So something _did_ happen,” Flo concludes with a smile.

“What?  No!”

“You know, kissing is allowed in PG movies,” Stacie points out.

“That means there was a sexy Bloe makeout session,” Amy states.

“Oh my god, no!  There was no– We didn’t–”  Beca lets out another grunt of frustration.  “You know what?  I give up.  It’s too early for this.  Assume away.”  She waves them away and takes a seat at the other side of the table next to Amy.

“So was it a long sexy Bloe makeout session?” the Tasmanian whispers.  The glare she gets in response shuts her up about the subject for the rest of breakfast.

 

* * *

 

After eating and getting changed, the Bellas find themselves standing in front of a rock wall (a new addition to the lodge) as Aubrey gives them instructions.  “Okay, this one is pretty straight forward.  Make it to the top before your opponent.”

“So the physical activities begin,” Amy grumbles.

Flo claps her hands together and steps forward from the group.  “I got this!”  She makes her way to the two lodge workers who wait nearby with the harnesses.

“Okay, who wants to face Flo?” Aubrey asks.

Lilly, who seems to have appeared from nowhere, raises her hand from the back of the Bella herd.

“Alright.  Flo versus Lilly,” Aubrey announces.

“This’ll be good,” Stacie comments.

After the women get harnessed up, they take their places at the base of the rock wall.

“Ready?” Aubrey asks.

“Hell yeah!” Flo answers.

Lilly nods.

“On the whistle.  On your mark...get set...”

As the whistle blows, the two women begin climbing, and the rest of the Bellas cheer them on.  

“Who do you think is gonna win?” Beca asks Chloe.

Chloe watches the women as Flo takes the lead.  “I’m not picking sides.  I love all my children equally.”

“But you love me the most.”

Lilly suddenly gains speed and catches up to Flo.

Chloe rolls her eyes.  "You can't prove that.  And you're not my child, you're my co-parent."

"Exactly, so I have to be your favorite.  It's like a rule."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Becs."

Lilly’s hand hits the red rock at the top of the wall.  The Bellas cheer.

“And the winner is Lilly,” Aubrey announces, then instructs the lodge workers to bring them down.

Chloe can hear Flo release a string of curse words as she scales down the side of the wall.  When she reaches the ground, Chloe can practically see the steam shooting out of her ears.

“Good work, ladies,” Aubrey says, then looks to the rest of the Bellas.  “Who’s next?”

“Me!” Chloe sings and heads over to the lodge members.

“Alright, who else?” Aubrey asks, scanning the line of Bellas.  “How about Beca?  Captain versus captain.”

All of the Bellas excitedly look to their captain.

“Yeah, I’ll pass.”

“Beca!” Chloe whines as she steps into her harness.

“Come on, you have to do it!  It’s so fun!” Emily says.

Beca cranes her neck to see to the top of the rock wall.  She grimaces.  “Sorry, but not one aspect of this activity seems appealing to me,” Beca argues.

“She just knows she’s going to lose,” Chloe teases with a smirk.

Recognizing the challenge, Beca’s eyebrows hit her hairline and she crosses her arms.  “Excuse me?  You think you can make it to the top before I can?”

“I know I can,” Chloe smiles as she approaches the tiny brunette, knowing it will stir up her competitive edge.

They stare each other down for a moment.  

Beca has always made it clear that she doesn’t like people and that most of the time, she is one hundred percent done with life.  But Chloe quickly learned to see right past that act.  Beca doesn’t hate people.  In fact, she’s intrigued by them most of the time, or at least by the way they behave.  The tiny brunette would never admit it - she probably isn’t even aware of it - but spending so much time with her has allowed Chloe to make this observation.  It’s all in Beca’s eyes.  She has these moments where they simply glow with amusement.  When she hears a new song that she likes, when Flo and Amy are having a heated debate, when one of the Bellas decides to sass her - her eyes change, no matter what expression her face holds.  It’s very hard to notice if you’re not watching carefully, but Chloe has become an expert in all things Beca Mitchell.  And according to her expertise, Beca is extremely amused right now, even if she is hiding it behind a glare.

“Alright, Posen.  Harness me.”

The Bellas cheer in victory as the other lodge member helps Beca step into her harness.

“My money’s on Shawshank,” Amy announces.

“No way!  Chloe’s definitely got this,” Flo argues.

“Yeah, have you seen her biceps?” Stacie adds.

“But Beca’s tiny, so she’ll move faster.  Plus, she’s got a lot of anger,” Cynthia Rose counters.

After they are secured in their harnesses, Beca and Chloe stand at the base of the rock wall.

Beca bounces on her feet.  “You’re going down, Beale.”

Chloe shoots her an innocent smile.  “Aw, you’re cute when you think you have a chance.”

“Okay, ladies.  Ready?” Aubrey asks.

“Absolutely,” Chloe replies.

She and Beca both draw their attention to the wall in front of them.

“Alright.  On your mark...get set...”  She blows the whistle.

Both women hoist themselves onto the rock wall and begin to climb.  Chloe takes it slow at first, trying to size up Beca’s skills.  To her surprise, Beca is more coordinated than she had expected.  In fact, by the way her hands seem to automatically find the next rock, she appears to be a natural.  Chloe can’t help but stare at the way Beca’s biceps flex when she almost effortlessly pulls herself up the wall.  Why hasn’t she noticed that before?

“You’re falling behind, Beale.”

Chloe is shaken out of her daze to see that Beca has passed her and is now looking down at her with a smirk.

“Oh, I know exactly what I’m doing.”  She makes a show of staring at Beca’s butt, and when the tiny brunette notices, she freezes.

“You perv!”

“Come on, Becs,” Chloe continues as she uses the opportunity to catch up to her opponent, “you know I’ve always appreciated your butt ever since our shower.”

Beca throws her head back and groans.  “Oh my god.  Why did I agree to this again?” 

“Because you love me,” Chloe beams and reaches over to give the tiny brunette’s butt a quick smack.  “Oh and Beca?  You’re losing.”  She then resumes climbing, pulling herself ahead of her opponent.

“Dammit Beale!”

They keep climbing, and Chloe remains in the lead.  She looks up to survey her progress.  She sees she’s almost at the top.  She reaches for the next rock.

“Chlo, wait,” Beca calls from a few rocks below her.

“You do know this is a race, right?”

“Look, there’s something I gotta tell you,” Beca says as she pulls herself up to the next rock.  “You know, while we’re up here and away from the other Bellas.”  She looks pretty serious.

Chloe stops climbing and waits for Beca to catch up to her.  “What is it?” she asks.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Beca grunts as she pulls herself up to Chloe’s level.  “There’s just something you should know.”

“Okay...”  Chloe can’t help but think that the tiny brunette looks a little nervous.  She watches Beca try to find her words.

“Chloe, I...I think you’re...”  

Chloe doesn’t know why, but her heart begins to pound.  Something about the way her best friend is looking at her paired with the seriousness in her tone makes her whole body feel numb.  She watches Beca with anticipation.

 “You’re just...”  A smirk creeps its way onto Beca’s lips.  “...too easy!”  She hoists herself up the final few rocks and hits the giant red one at the top.

“And Beca emerges as the winner!” Aubrey announces.

The Bellas cheer from the ground.  Chloe sees Flo roll her eyes and hand Amy money.

“Boom!” Beca whoops as she throws a fist into the air.

Chloe’s mouth drops open in shock.  “You little cheater!”  She climbs up to Beca’s level.

Beca scoffs.  “You’re one to talk.”

“Bring ‘em down, boys,” Aubrey instructs the lodge workers.

“You know, your nostrils flare when you’re mad,” Beca informs Chloe for the sole purpose of teasing her, then playfully taps her nose.  “It’s adorable.”

Before Chloe can comment, she’s gone, sliding down the rock wall.  Chloe follows her.

“Thanks, ginge!  You won me ten dollars!” Amy tells Chloe once she reaches the ground.

“Yeah.  Thanks,” Flo mumbles with a glare.

“Sorry, Flo!  Love you!” Chloe says with a nervous smile.

Flo’s glare quickly dissipates.  “Love you, too,” she grumbles.

As they step out of their harnesses, Beca shoots Chloe a cocky smile - one that shows all of her teeth.

Chloe narrows her eyes at her co-captain.  “I’m gonna get you back, Mitchell.  Just you wait.”

“Yeah.  Okay,” Beca says dryly as they rejoin the herd of Bellas who are preparing to watch Jessica and Ashley in the next race.

 

* * *

 

After a few more rounds on the rock wall and a few more project adventure-related activities, Aubrey has the Bellas migrate to the lake for their next challenge.  After stripping into their bathing suits, they stand on the dock, waiting for their instructions.  In front of them floats a long mat that leads to the middle of the lake like a buoyant red carpet.  It’s thin and it wiggles with the current.

Aubrey motions to the mat.  “Alright, you remember the rules from last time?  Fall off the mat and you’re out.  First one to make it to the end wins.”

The Bellas line up in front of the mat.

“Remember, this is your chance to get your aggression out,” Aubrey reminds them.  “But no biting this time, Amy.”

The Tasmanian rolls her eyes.  “Sissies.”

Beca takes her place next to Chloe.  “Ready to lose again, Beale?”  Five years may have passed, but she still knows how to push Chloe’s competitive buttons.

“In your dreams, Mitchell.”

They both direct their gaze to the floating mat ahead of them.

“Alright, ladies.  On your mark...get set...”  Aubrey blows her whistle and the Bellas all launch themselves forward.

There is a frenzy of grabbing and shrieking and splashing as they all attack each other and fall into the water.

Chloe doesn’t preoccupy herself with looking back to see who is still in the game.  Instead, she concentrates on running - well, it’s more like walking as fast as she can without falling from the slippery, shaking mat.  From what it sounds like, the Bellas are all caught up in one big wrestling match behind her.  Chloe thinks she might even have a lead.

Suddenly, she feels an extra weight on her back as arms wrap around her neck and feet wrap around her hips.  Before she can process what’s going on, she is knocked off balance and falls onto the mat, landing on her stomach.  She lifts her head and looks behind her to see who has knocked her over.  Sure enough, she sees Beca chuckling as she adjusts herself to straddle her back. 

“Remember when you thought you were gonna win?”

Chloe tries to move, but Beca’s position paired with the slippery mat makes it very difficult.  She grunts in frustration, which makes Beca giggle.

The tiny brunette steals a glance behind her to see that the rest of the Bellas - the ones who haven’t already lost - have all stopped to watch.  “Looks like it’s just you and me, Beale.”

Chloe tries to move again, but Beca has her pinned.  Even though she cannot see her opponent’s face, she knows the other woman is smirking.

“Hey, Chlo?” 

Chloe feels Beca’s weight shift, giving her the impression that she’s leaning forward.  She then feels Beca’s breath tickle her ear, giving her chills.

“Your nostrils are flaring again.”

The tiny brunette uses the opportunity to spring to her feet and resume running to the end of the mat.  But Chloe is too determined to win this one.  She reaches out and grabs Beca’s foot while it is still in reach, causing her opponent to fall with a “Shit!”

Through her flailing in Chloe’s grip, Beca manages to turn onto her back, making easy for Chloe to crawl onto her and straddle her hips.  “Not so fast, Mitchell.”  She grabs Beca’s arms and pins her down with a smirk.

Beca struggles in Chloe’s grip, but it’s no use.  She’s stuck.

Chloe flashes her a winning smile.  “Stacie was right about my biceps.”

After making one last attempt to free herself from Chloe, Beca stops squirming and releases a sigh of defeat.  “Alright, fine.  Now get off before you crush me.” 

Chloe shakes her head.  “Nope.  I’m not falling for that.”  She leans forward a little and Beca eyes her warily.  “Besides, I’m kind of enjoying this position.”

She’s not gonna lie, she is totes enjoying this.  Back at Barden, she had had countless fantasies of being in a similar position, although none of them involved her and Beca being on a slippery mat in the middle of a lake.  Not that she's completely opposed to the idea.  But she forces herself to push those thoughts aside - that was a long time ago, and she's totes over Beca - and she winks, causing the tiny brunette’s mouth to drop open slightly.  Chloe knows she now has full power over her opponent.  

“Hey, Becs?”  As she slowly leans further forward to get dangerously close to Beca’s face, she sees the tiny brunette glance down at her cleavage.  She’s happy she opted not to wear a life jacket for this activity.

However, Beca quickly brings her gaze up to Chloe’s lips when the redhead stops millimeters away from her own.  “Hm?” she manages, clearly flustered.  Realizing she’s staring, she meets Chloe’s eyes.

Chloe gives her a seductive smirk.  “You’re blushing.”  She leans over to give Beca a quick peck on the cheek, then launches herself to her feet with a laugh and begins running again.  

She reaches the end of the mat with a squeal of victory.

“Good job, Chlo!” Aubrey calls, and the rest of the Bellas applaud.

When Chloe turns to take her victory bow, she sees Beca is still laying on the mat, recovering from that interaction.  The other Bellas appear to be recovering from it, too.

Chloe makes her way back to Beca, who is breathing heavily and staring at the sky with wide eyes.  “You alright, Becs?  I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, you’re good.  I’m -” she absentmindedly waves a hand in the air. “I’m fine.  Just catching my breath.”

“Yeah, my seduction tends to have a lasting effect on people.”

Beca rolls her eyes, signaling she has recovered.  “You’re so weird.”  She holds out her hand.  “Help me up?”

Chloe tugs at her arm, bringing Beca to her feet.

Beca flashes her a smile that’s a little too big.  “Thanks.”  She then gives Chloe a shove, sending her off the edge of the mat and into the water with a shriek.

Chloe’s head emerges from the surface to see Beca laughing maniacally.

“Beca!”  

The tiny brunette looks down at her with crossed arms.  “Yeah.  I did that.  Deal with it.”

Chloe narrows her eyes.  No.  She’s not going to let Beca win again.  She reaches out and grabs the mat, giving it a quick tug.  It throws the tiny brunette off balance, sending her crashing into the water.

The Bellas all erupt into laughter as Beca’s head pops out of the water.  

When she brushes the hair off her face, Chloe can see she’s shooting her a glare.  But she can also see the familiar glow in Beca’s eyes, revealing that she’s actually enjoying this.

“It is so on, Beale!”

Beca moves her arm along the surface of the water, causing Chloe to be hit with a giant splash of water.  Chloe retaliates, soaking the brunette with her own wave of water.  They erupt into a splash war, and Chloe’s heart flutters every time she hears Beca shriek as she’s hit by a wave.

“Hey, aca-lesbians!” Fat Amy calls.  “We’re still here.” 

Beca and Chloe stop their splash fight to see eight pairs of eyes watching them at the other end of the mat.

“Right,” Chloe confirms, then shares a knowing glance at Beca.  Completely in sync, they both pull themselves back onto the mat, then run at the rest of the Bellas, knocking as many of them into the water as they can.

And even though she is literally wrestling her fellow Bellas, Chloe has never felt more at peace.

 

* * *

 

After spending some time on the zip-line, the waterslide, and that giant blow-up launcher thing of which Chloe does not know the real name, Aubrey leads the now dried and clothed Bellas to their next activity.  They stand before the mud pit as Aubrey splits them into teams.  

“Do we really have to do this one again?” Beca groans.

“Nothing promotes team-building more than getting down and dirty with each other,” Aubrey informs her.  She pauses to make sure she split them up correctly.

The first team, or  “Team Tasmanian and the Chicks” as Amy calls it, consists of her, Beca, Flo, Ashley, and Legacy.  The other team, Team Tits (Stacie’s idea), consists of Stacie, Chloe, Cynthia Rose, Jessica, and Lilly.

“Okay,” Aubrey continues.  “First team to make it to the end wins.  And remember, your entire team has to finish.”

The Bellas all exchange competitive smirks.  

Chloe looks to Beca.  “Ready to get dirty, Becs?”  

Beca recognizes her teasing tone as a challenge.  “The real question is are _you_?”

“You know I like it dirty.”  She winks at Beca and slowly begins to lift up her shirt a few inches.  “Hot and dirty.”  

After taking a second to bring her gaze from Chloe’s stomach back to her eyes, Beca smirks.  “Really?  I thought you preferred it clean.  You know, based off of a certain shower experience?”

There it is.  That new confidence.  Surprised by the comeback, Chloe’s jaw drops a little, and she can’t for the life of her think of a witty response.

Luckily, Aubrey saves her from having to do so.  “Alright ladies!  On the whistle!”  The Bellas prepare their stances.  “On your mark...get set...”  

At the sound of the whistle, the Bellas spring forward, jumping into the mud pit.

Chloe can’t see much of what’s going on due to the mud flying everywhere.  She just knows that she and Beca are trying to drench each other in mud every chance they get.

After a few more minutes of splashing, slipping, screaming, and accidentally getting unwanted mud in their mouths, the Bellas complete the race and Team Tits emerges the winner.  Since their inner five-year-olds have been awakened, they opt to remain in the pit and play around for a little bit.

Eventually, Chloe opts to migrate to dry land and chat with Aubrey.  She came to bond with _all_ of the Bellas, and that’s what she’s going to do.  

After a few minutes, some of the Bellas lose interest in the pit and follow Chloe’s example by migrating to dry land.  However, this doesn’t stop them from continuing to smear mud all over each other.

Aubrey leaves to get the hose, and Chloe watches her beloved muddy Bellas squeal as they attack each other.  A smile crawls onto her lips.  She can listen to their laughter all day.  Her Bellas bring a special light into her life - one that was dimmed for awhile.  She couldn’t be more thankful that it was brought back to her this weekend.

As Legacy draws a mud mustache on Cynthia Rose, something catches Chloe’s attention.  Beca Mitchell is pulling off her mud-soaked shirt to reveal her bathing suit top...and some rather nice cleavage.

Beca is pretty - Chloe has always thought so, and anyone who is willing to look past the resting bitch face can see it.  But Chloe also thinks that Beca is hot.  Like, really hot.  Because Beca _is_.  She just doesn’t showcase it, and Chloe respects that.  Although, she will admit to fantasizing about what the tiny brunette would look like if she _did_ showcase it back when they were at Barden.

Chloe doesn’t even realize she’s staring until a blast of cold water hits her back.  She turns to see Aubrey watching her with raised eyebrows, the hose in her hand.

She decides to play dumb and shrugs.  “What?”  It results in another blast of cold water, this one lasting longer than the first one.

“You just looked like you needed to cool off,” Aubrey says with a knowing smile.

Chloe crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.  “I wasn’t–”

“Hey, Posen!” Beca calls as she approaches from the herd of Bellas.  She nods at the hose.  “You mind cleaning me off before this stuff dries?” 

Aubrey raises the hose and Beca assumes the position, spreading her arms and legs as if she’s about to go through a security check.  But before Aubrey rinses Beca off, Chloe is suddenly hit with a third blast of cold water.

“Oh my god!  Bree!”

“Just wanted to make sure it did the trick,” Aubrey tells her.

“And you say she isn’t the she-devil,” Beca points out with a smirk.  This gets her a cold blast of water, resulting in a shriek.

“Beca!  Chloe!”  It comes from Jessica who gestures to a muddy Flo and Fat Amy, who appear to be wrestling each other.  “They’re having the burrito argument again.”

“Oh my god, it’s _Mexican food_!  They’re literally beating each other up over _Mexican food_!” Beca groans.

Chloe sighs.  “I’ll take this one.”

“Good luck, champ.  Try not to lose any teeth.  Your smile wouldn’t be the same,” Beca smirks.

Caught off guard by the comment, Chloe blushes, which only causes Beca’s smile to grow.  However, the smile is replaced by a glare when Aubrey takes it upon herself to resume hosing Beca off at that very moment.

“Dammit, Posen!  A warning would have been nice!  That shit is cold!”

After giggling at the sight of her co-captain squirming under the chill of the hose, Chloe heads over to the fighting Bellas.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Feelings? Requests?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I'm currently working two jobs and an internship, so I haven't had a lot of time to write. Anyway, enjoy!

The mud pit marks the conclusion of the day’s physical activities, and the Bellas all migrate to the showers to wash off the remaining mud before dinner.  It takes them awhile, though, since the lodge only has so many showers.  Of course, Chloe had suggested that she and Beca share a shower to speed up the process, which got her a satisfying blush in return from the flustered brunette.

Now, a clean, lavender-scented Chloe grabs her sneakers out of her tent and sits in the grass to put them on.

A newly-dressed Beca approaches from the showers and wrings her hair out with the towel one last time.  “There was mud in places where mud should never be.”

“Mud doesn’t even phase me anymore.  A direct result of being a kindergarten teacher,” Chloe jokes, tying her shoes.

Beca drops her towel in the pile the Bellas are making and grabs her phone from her tent.  As she re-emerges, she mutters a low “Goddammit.”

“Lots of emails?” Chloe asks.

“I literally asked for one weekend off.  Just one!”  With another grunt, Beca slips her phone back into her pocket, then nods towards Chloe’s tied sneakers.  “Going somewhere?”

“On a walk.”

“You’re leaving me to single-parent those weirdos?  What kind of aca-wife are you?” 

Chloe rises to her feet.  “I never said you couldn’t come with me.  God, you’re so dramatic, Mitchell.”

Beca looks back at Flo and Legacy, who are having a sword fight with sticks they found as Cynthia Rose watches them, waiting for the rest of the Bellas to shower.  She gives a small smile, then turns back to Chloe.  “I think they’ll behave.  Lead the way, Captain.”

 

* * *

 

As they walk through the woods, Chloe holds a branch out of the way so Beca can walk by without getting scratched.

“You know, when you said ‘walk’ I thought you meant a nice little stroll down the dock or something.  Not, like, a full on trek through the forest,” Beca complains as she walks past the branch and steps over a log.  “Are we even going to be able to find the path again?  Aubrey said there are bear traps in here.”

“Relax, Becs, we’re fine,” Chloe assures her.  “And I’ll protect you from the bear traps,” she adds with a teasing smirk.

“If I die before I get to work with David Guetta, I’m definitely coming back to haunt you.”

It doesn’t even phase Chloe, it just makes her smile.  “As long as you promise to do it often.  I can only go so long without your cute little glares.”  Her smile grows when she gets one of said glares as a response.  She looks up at the trees and spots her destination, then points to one nearby that holds an old wooden treehouse.  “That’s where we’re going.”

Beca eyes it warily.  “Dude, there is no way that thing is stable.”

“Well, we’re about to find out,” Chloe says as she finds the knots in the tree and begins to climb.

“Chloe!”

“Come on, Beca.  Did you lose your sense of adventure in LA?”

“Trick question.  I never had a sense of adventure in the first place,” Beca informs her.  She watches Chloe continue to climb.  “Seriously, Chlo.  You’re going to get hurt.”

Totally loving the fact that Beca has all of a sudden turned into a concerned mom, Chloe pulls herself onto the wooden balcony-like platform that wraps around the entire treehouse.  She slowly and cautiously puts her weight onto it and smiles proudly when she feels that it’s stable.  “See?  It’s fine.”  She stomps hard on the wood, and it doesn’t budge.  “It can totes hold both of us.  Come on.”

After rolling her eyes, Beca climbs up the tree.

Chloe makes her way into the treehouse as Beca continues to make her way up. 

“Chloe, wait.  There could be, like, wild animals in there.”

Chloe ignores her and enters.  Contrary to Beca’s concern, there are no wild animals camping out inside.  It is simply the home of a few small spiderwebs, which are easily avoidable if one is watching where they walk.  Chloe dodges them and makes her way across the treehouse and out the other door, which leads to the other side of the platform.  After checking to make sure it’s sturdy, she sits on it with her feet dangling off the edge so she can look at the view.

“Okay,” Beca says as she emerges from the treehouse, swatting a spiderweb.  “So what’s the big deal about this place?”

Chloe points to the horizon, and Beca doesn’t need any more explanation.  The treehouse is high enough that they can see the lodge from it, as well as a nice view of the lake.

Beca sits next to Chloe.  “Okay, I get it now.”  They sit in comfortable silence for a moment, taking in the view, until Beca decides to break it again.  “So you knew this was here.”

Chloe nods.  “I found it at the last retreat after we fought.”

They return to a heavier silence, both remembering the stress of that day.  After the bear trap blowout and after it was confirmed that Beca sustained no injuries, she and Chloe had taken separate walks, both needing time to cool off and process everything before they discussed it again.  And obviously, everything turned out fine, but they both hate thinking about how they weren’t completely there for each other during that period of time.

“Well I’m glad you did.  It’s pretty cool.”

Chloe gives her a warm smile, then something catches her eye.  She notices a red fox emerge from a bush on the ground below them.  She excitedly elbows Beca.  “Omg Becs!  Look at the fox!”

“Where?”

Chloe points to it as is sniffs a fallen log.  “Right there!  You see him?”  Beca finally spots it.  “Look at him!  He’s so cute!”

Beca is unimpressed.  “It’s a fox...”

“But look at his little ears and his bushy little tail!”  Chloe lets out a squeal.  “I want one!”

“Okay, Chlo,” Beca says dryly and begins playing with a small stick she finds next to her.

“Becs, when you get rich and famous, will you buy me a fox?”

Beca chuckles, but then she realizes Chloe is staring at her with her puppy dog eyes.  “You’re serious?”

Chloe is totally serious, and she motions to the fox below them.  “Um, do you not see how cute they are?”

Beca rolls her eyes, but she can’t hide the amused smile on her face.

“So will you?” Chloe asks, not planning to let this go until she gets her way.

Beca sighs, still keeping the smile.  “Sure, Chloe, when I am rich and famous, I’ll buy you a fox.”

“Promise?”  Chloe holds up her pinky.

Beca drops the stick and intertwines their pinkies.  “Promise.”

“Awse.”  Still grinning, Chloe returns to watching the fox.  However, after a moment, she feels steely blue eyes on her.  When she peels her eyes away from the fox, she sees that Beca is in fact staring at her with a shy smile teasing at the corners of her lips.  She suddenly feels self-conscious - a rare occurrence.  “What?”

“You haven’t changed."

Chloe’s smile falters.  “Oh.”  

“It’s a good thing,” Beca assures her.  “I didn’t want you to.”

“Oh, okay,” Chloe breathes, the smile returning to her lips.  “I’m glad then.”  She holds the tiny brunette’s gaze for a moment, then begins again.  “ _You’ve_ changed.”

“Really?” Beca asks, surprised.

“Yeah.  I mean, not a lot.  You just seem more sure of yourself.  More comfortable in your own skin, ya know?”

“I guess that’s true.  I mean, LA has really -”

“ _Girls!  We run this motha -_ ”

Beca rolls her eyes, then checks her phone screen.  When she sees who it is, she lets out a groan.  “It’s my boss.”  She silences it.

“Then shouldn’t you answer?” Chloe asks.

“No.  I’m technically on vacation.  I’m literally using my vacation days for this.  Besides, I’m talking to you.”

“But it’s your _boss_.”

“I don’t care,” Beca states, sliding the phone back into her pocket.  “I’m not going to ditch you for my work again.”

Chloe isn’t sure why, but it makes her heart flutter in her chest.  Maybe it’s because Beca is determined to put her before work, something Chloe used to wish she would do after she moved to LA.  Or maybe it’s because Beca is treating her like she is her biggest priority, which is also something Chloe had always wanted to happen.  She tries to shrug it off, reminding herself that all these desires are ones from the past, not the present.  “Really, Beca, it’s fine.  I don’t mind.”

“No.  We’re spending our last twenty four hours together.  He can wait,” Beca assures her.

There it is again.  That confidence.  That tenacity.  That power Chloe had always known was there and is finally starting to show itself. 

She knows there is no point in arguing with the tiny brunette.  However, she can tell by the way Beca is fidgeting next to her that the unanswered call is eating away at her.

“You know, you don’t have to feel bad about having a demanding job,” Chloe points out.  Beca looks to her curiously, and she assumes it’s safe to continue.  “I mean, sure, it can get inconvenient at times, but it means you’re doing something right.  Your boss wants more of you, more of your talent.  And you love your job, right?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Then don’t let anyone make you feel ashamed for working so hard.”

Beca’s lips curl into a grateful smile.  “Thanks, Chlo.”

“Call your boss.”

With a sigh, Beca takes her phone out of her pocket and presses her boss’s contact.  “Hey, it’s Beca...Yeah, the files are in the folder...I’m still out of town, but Jake said he was going to adjust the reverb on the second one...Yeah, they should be all good to go...Okay, cool...Okay...Bye.”   She hangs up the phone and slides it back into her pocket.  “He just wanted a follow-up.  I was positive he was going to ask me to make more adjustments.”

“Maybe there are no more adjustments to be made,” Chloe points out.  “Maybe you’re just _that_ talented.”  Beca lets out a sarcastic snort and resumes playing with the stick.  “I’m serious.  Soon, David Guetta is going to be telling his friends that he’ll haunt them if he dies before he gets to meet you.”

“Maybe.”

Chloe lets it go, knowing that even though occasionally flattering Beca is important, it is not to be overdone.  Beca likes to be acknowledged for her talents, but once it becomes more than that, she becomes shy and shrugs people off.  It's one of the many things Chloe has always loved about her - how she is talented to the point where she has the right to be a little cocky, yet she has always managed to remain humble, if not modest.  And Chloe loves how even though Beca is about to become a hot-shot music producer, she still put it all aside just to come to Georgia and sit next to her in this treehouse and look at the reflection of the lodge on the rippling lake.

“This is...this is nice.”  It comes from the tiny brunette, who is still staring at the horizon.

“What is?”

Beca bumps their shoulders together.  “Having you around again.”  Chloe gives a shy smile and Beca's smile falters as she resumes turning the stick around in her hands.  “It, uh...it really sucks that we live so far apart.”

Chloe sighs and stares at her feet.  “Yeah.”   _It really does_.

Beca is silent, but Chloe can hear the gears in her head turning as she tries to find her words.

“We should...We should try harder this time.  To stay in touch, I mean.”

It comes out timidly, and Chloe knows it’s a big deal for Beca to be saying this.  Five years may have passed, but it appears that her best friend is still not great with confronting her emotions.  But for some reason, in this treehouse in the middle of nowhere with Chloe, she somehow deems it safe to do so.

“Can we try?” she asks quietly, still keeping her eyes on the stick in her hands.

Chloe takes a breath, finally realizing how hard this is hitting both of them.  “I’d like that.”

Beca lets out the breath she must have been holding, and Chloe sees her visibly relax.  “Good.”

After looking at the view of the lake for another moment, Chloe shyly brings her gaze back to her feet and decides to break the silence.  “I’m actually going to be in your neck of the woods next week,” she admits.

Beca drops the stick and her eyebrows shoot upwards.  “Wait, you’re coming to LA?” 

“I have an interview for a teaching position at this performing arts school.  It’s right outside of Santa Monica.”

“That’s great, Chlo!”  Beca’s smile is huge, and Chloe can see her eyes light up.  “If you need a place to stay, you can totally crash with me.  I’m not too far from there.”

“Oh.”  Chloe pauses for a moment.  While thinking of all the ways this reunion could go, she never imagined it ending with her getting an invitation to stay at Beca’s place.  “I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

“You won’t be.  You’ve got to see the new place.  And my roommate Jack, remember him?  He moved out a few weeks ago to live with his girlfriend.  What a dweeb, right?  Anyway, there’s an empty room, so you wouldn’t even have to sleep on the couch.”  

Chloe thinks it over, trying to decide how dangerous of an idea this is.  This reunion is one thing - she’s with nine other women, plus Aubrey.  But staying with Beca in LA for three days?  _Alone_?  Who knows what kind of old feelings can be stirred up inside Chloe.  

“Come on.  It’ll be fun,” Beca continues.  “Like when we used to live together.”  She pokes her in the side.

The offer _is_ pretty tempting.

“Alright,” Chloe agrees, trying her best not to think about the consequences of the action.  It’s just a few days with her best friend.  What could that hurt?

“Cool,” Beca hums and picks up the stick again.  “So, why LA?  You’re such a Florida girl.”

“The school I work at right now is a regular elementary school.  And I love it, but I want to work at a performing arts school.  I applied to a couple in Tampa, but there is this really great one in LA that is specifically for underprivileged kids, which is what I want to focus on.  Plus, I might want to open up a vocal lessons business on the side like Aubrey, so it kind of just makes sense to go where most of the performers are.”

Beca looks to her and smiles, but it’s one of those rare smiles that Chloe only recalls seeing when the tiny brunette impresses herself while making a mix.  “I’m proud of you.”

Chloe feels herself blush.  “Why?”

“Look at you.  Five years ago, you were purposely failing college because you were afraid of your future.  And now you’re, like, embracing it and making plans and stuff.”  Beca bumps their shoulders together again.  “It’s pretty cool.”

Chloe’s blush is interrupted by her own phone vibrating in her pocket.  She checks the screen and reads the text message aloud.  “‘Time to put a hold on your hot Bloe sex.  We’re HUNGRY!’”

“Amy?” Beca asks, knowingly.

“Amy,” Chloe confirms.  “I guess that’s our cue to head back, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.  She gets grumpy when she’s hasn’t eaten,” Beca says, dropping the stick and rising to her feet.

Chloe does the same and follows Beca through the treehouse and back to the ground.

Beca scans their surroundings, then looks to Chloe.  “I have no idea where we are, so it’s all you, chief.  Don’t get us lost.”

“Hey, Becs, there’s this new thing.  It’s called having faith in your co-captain,” Chloe jokes.

“Does that include co-captains who failed Maps?” Beca asks.

Chloe rolls her eyes.  “This way, weirdo.”  She heads in the direction of the lodge with Beca trailing closely behind.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's chapter 4. Let me know what you think! Also, I'm open to requests, so if there's anything you want to see them do (besides get together, obviously), especially when Chloe is in LA, hit me up in the comments.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca and Chloe are met with seven devious smirks, one glare from Aubrey, and an exasperated “It’s about time!” from Fat Amy when they arrive back at the lodge.  Not wanting to face anymore of the Tasmanian’s wrath, they migrate to the mess hall for dinner.

Having no interest in repeating the breakfast incident, Beca steps back and allows the other Bellas to have time with Chloe.  She opts to sit next to Legacy and Cynthia Rose, and of course, the three of them wind up discussing music.

As she practically shovels her food into her mouth (competing with Beca in outdoor activities apparently works up quite an appetite), Chloe finds herself in a conversation with Jessica, Ashley, and Stacie.

“So, Chloe, since you’re a kindergarten teacher, you do a lot of crafts, right?” Jessica asks.

“Totes.”

“Do you get to pick which crafts you do or does the school decide?” Ashley asks.

“I get to pick the activities, but most of the time, I have to get them cleared with the Board first.”

Jessica nods in understanding.  “Is that hard?”

“Not really, it’s just annoying paperwork.  They usually clear stuff as long as I tie it into something we’re learning.  For example, the week after we learned about emotions, it was in the curriculum to teach them about lists.  So I had them make happy faces out of paper plates and then write a list of three things that make them happy on the back.  It kind of tied everything together and reinforced it for them, ya know?”

She hears a soft chuckle and follows the noise to see that Beca’s eyes are on her, clearly intrigued.  Cynthia Rose and Legacy talk around her, oblivious to the fact that she is no longer paying attention.

“What?” Chloe asks pointedly as she puts her fork down.

“Nothing,” Beca giggles and brings her gaze to her plate, where she pushes her food around.  After a few seconds, she looks back up to see Chloe’s challenging stare, and it quickly breaks her.  “It’s just, I know you’re a teacher, but I never expected you to be such a _teacher_.” 

Chloe curiously raises her eyebrows, signaling for her to elaborate. 

“It’s not a bad thing, it’s just I’ve never seen this part of you before.  I feel like next you’re gonna tell me that you carry stickers around in your purse.”

“They’re puns,” Chloe declares with a proud smile.

“Oh my god,” Beca groans, clearly not expecting her previous comment to be anything other than rhetorical.

Chloe smirks.  “If you behave yourself for the rest of the evening, I’ll give you one.”  She winks at Beca, eliciting giggles from the rest of the Bellas, who are now all focused on their conversation.  “Would you like a ‘You’re Grape!’ one or a ‘Berry Good!’ one?”

Beca drops her fork and face palms.  “You’re such a _dork_!” 

 

* * *

 

The conversation then moves to a new topic, and Chloe excuses herself to go to the bathroom.  On her way back to the mess hall, she notices Aubrey through the kitchen door.  She appears to be putting graham crackers onto a plate as a few members of the kitchen staff occasionally pass by.  A stack of chocolate bars and a few bags of marshmallows sit on the table next to her.

Chloe cracks open the swinging door and peeks her head in.

“Hey,” she greets when the blonde looks up.

“Hi, Chlo.”

Chloe enters and makes her way over to the table.  “Can I help?”

“You know your company is always welcome.”  Aubrey hands her a few chocolate bars.  “Start breaking them up.”

Chloe accepts them with a smile and begins unwrapping the first one.

“So, you disappeared with Beca earlier,” Aubrey mentions as she opens another package of graham crackers and begins spreading them out onto the plate.

“Relax, Bree.  We just went for a walk,” Chloe assures her.  Aubrey shoots her an “I’m not stupid” look.  “Seriously.  We just sat and talked.”

“About?”

“Life...”  Chloe bites her lip as she unwraps a chocolate bar and breaks it into s’more-sized pieces.  “And I may have agreed to stay with her while I’m in LA for my interview next week.”  She says it quickly, hoping that the blonde won't catch the whole thing.  But she's not that lucky.

Aubrey is so surprised that she accidentally breaks the graham cracker in her hand.  “Aca-scuse me?”

“What?” Chloe asks, trying to sound innocent.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“Well, it’s not the worst idea in the world...”

“Chloe.”  She says it like a scolding parent, and the guilt makes Chloe return her focus to breaking up another chocolate bar.

“She’s my best friend...aside from you, obvs.  So why would I turn down the opportunity to spend more time with her?”

Aubrey pushes the plate of graham crackers to the side and moves on to helping Chloe with the chocolate.  “Because you know that’s dangerous.”

“Bree, stop worrying.  We’re just friends.”

Aubrey snorts.

Chloe looks up from the chocolate.  “What?  Have I not been fine all weekend?”  

Aubrey snorts again and places the chocolate pieces onto the plate, then grabs another bar.  

“ _What_?” Chloe asks again, beginning to become self-conscious.

“Please!  You’ve been sporting ‘the look’ all day.”

“What look?”

“The one you have reserved for only Beca.”

Chloe raises her eyebrows.  “Okay, oh-observant-one, care to elaborate?”

“I don’t know,” Aubrey ponders.  “Something in your expression just...changes.  It’s like you become completely entranced by her.”

Probably because she _is_.  She has always been intrigued by Beca, ever since their first interaction at the Activities Fair.  It started as an innocent curiosity and blossomed into straight up fascination as she got to know Beca better.  It has gotten to the point where everything Beca does amazes Chloe – the way she carries herself, the way she thinks, her body language and mannerisms - literally everything.  Chloe doesn't particularly know why she's so attuned to all things Beca Mitchell, but she's always just assumed that it comes with the territory of being so close to someone.  She also assumes that loving Beca for so long might also have something to do with it.

She tugs at the wrapper of a new chocolate bar.  “Aubrey, she’s my best friend.  And I’ve already told you that I’ll always love her a little differently than everyone else.  But I’m fine.  I’m not, like, drooling over her or anything.  And I really don’t think visiting her in LA for a few days is going to hurt.”

Aubrey is silent as she breaks up another bar, then finally concedes.  “I want frequent updates.”

“Well, duh!  Who else is going to keep me in check?”

The blonde smiles sheepishly and hands Chloe a new pile of chocolate bars to break up.

 

* * *

 

After Chloe and Aubrey finish preparing the necessities for the s’mores, they meet up with the other Bellas and migrate to the bonfire.  Once again, Beca opts to sit next to Chloe on the bench instead of claiming a single seat for herself.  Chloe sits a little closer to her tonight, craving the extra body heat from the slight chill of the night.

As the Bellas make their s’mores, the topic of Jessica and Ashley’s twins comes up.

“We think they’re going to pop the question soon,” Jessica tells the group.

“They have both been acting a little weird, lately,” Ashley elaborates.

“And we’ve been dropping hints,” Jessica adds sheepishly.

“Yes!  I love weddings!  Especially ones with an open bar,” Amy says and gives a less-than-subtle wink.

“Yeah, please tell them to hurry up.  I haven’t been to a wedding in so long, and other than you two and Amy, the only other person here eligible to get married is Chloe,” Stacie complains.

The Bellas all direct their attention to Chloe, who feels herself blush a bit.

“What about you, Chlo?  Think you’ll be walking down the aisle anytime soon?” Jessica asks.

“No, I don’t think so.  Matt and I just got used to living together,” Chloe answers.

“What’s he like?” Legacy asks.

“Yeah, tell us about him,” Cynthia Rose agrees.

Chloe slides a new marshmallow onto her skewer and holds it into the fire.  “Well, you all know he teaches first grade...so he’s really patient because he’s the one who has to teach kids how to read.”  The other Bellas watch her intently, and she takes that as a signal that they want more.  “He’s pretty outdoorsy.  We go hiking and fishing and stuff.  And we take frequent trips to the beach.”

“Well, he’s not there to look at the waves,” Stacie smirks.

Chloe blushes and waves her away.  “Oh, shush!” 

“What else?” Emily asks.

Chloe thinks for a moment as she rotates her skewer in the fire.  “Hm...He plays guitar, so he serenades me sometimes...”  She pauses as some of the Bellas squeak in excitement.  “And he really wants a puppy, but we’re hesitant because we aren’t home enough to train it between both of our teaching schedules.”

“He sounds like a keeper," Ashley says.  "Does Aubrey approve?”

The Bellas all look to their former captain.

“Aubrey approves,” the blonde answers.  “He’s good for her.”

Amy looks back to Chloe.  “Does he know that you already have a wife?”  When Chloe raises her eyebrows in question, the Tasmanian nods towards Beca.

“Oh, that’s a good point,” Legacy realizes.

Flo nods in agreement.  “Yeah, you might want to tell him you have an aca-lesbian lover.”

“Maybe you guys can have threesomes,” Stacie suggests as she licks the gooey marshmallow off of her finger.

Beca fidgets in her seat uncomfortably as she tries to free a new marshmallow from the bag.  “I don’t like where this conversation is going.”

“I do,” Cynthia Rose smirks.

“Does the wife approve of the boy toy?” Amy asks.

Eager for her response, the Bellas direct their attention to Beca, who slides the marshmallow onto her skewer and puts it into the fire.

“Beca hasn’t met him yet,” Chloe informs them.  She then sees something in Beca’s expression change, and she knows that the tiny brunette is forming a response in her head.  Chloe patiently waits for her to begin speaking, curious as to what her opinion will be.

After rotating her marshmallow for a moment, Beca finally finds her answer.  “I...I trust Chloe.  She’s a good judge of character.”

Chloe drops her head onto Beca’s shoulder for a second as a silent thank you.  She can see the Bellas’ hopeful faces fall.  That was not the answer they were looking for.  She assumes Beca can see it, too, based on what she says next. 

“But if he hurts her, he’ll have to face the wrath of Beca Effin’ Mitchell.”

“And then you’ll realize that Bloe is meant to be,” Amy adds before shoving a s'more into her mouth.  The results in an eye roll from Beca and a giggle from Chloe.

“What about you, Cap?” Emily asks the tiny brunette.

“Yeah, did you find yourself a hot-shot music man?” Stacie smiles.

Chloe sits up straighter, focusing her full attention on Beca.  It hadn’t even occurred to her that Beca could be seeing anyone...at least not recently.  The tiny brunette hadn’t said anything about it and Chloe can’t remember seeing anything on social media...but then again, Beca is a private person.  She probably wouldn’t post anything at all.

Chloe realizes she’s holding her breath, but she can’t bring herself to release it.  She feels her entire body stiffen as she keeps her eyes on Beca, waiting for her answer.  In her mind, it feels like ages before the tiny brunette speaks again, and Chloe is just about ready to jump out of her seat and shake it out of her.  She needs to know.  She needs to know every detail about this guy.  What he looks like, where he works, what he does in his free time, how serious their relationship is.  If _he_ has shared a shower with Beca.

“No,” the tiny brunette replies.

“You’re not seeing anyone?” Jessica asks.

“Not really,” Beca answers with a shrug.  “I go on a few dates here and there, but that’s about it.”

Chloe feels her muscles relax again and her breathing returns to normal.  She’s kind of taken aback by how much that affected her.  She then notices Aubrey staring at her, and by the blonde’s expression, it appears that her face must have showcased her thoughts.  She brings her eyes to the ground, afraid Aubrey’s look will make her feel even more frazzled.

Why did she just freak out like that?  Was that...jealousy?  No, definitely not.  Why on Earth would she need to be jealous of the man who wins Beca Mitchell’s heart?  Well, she should be a little jealous because anyone who dates Beca is a lucky person.  But no.  Chloe decides she’s not jealous.  The desperate need to know every detail - the sudden protectiveness - those are just her instincts as a friend.  Yeah, she’s just being a protective best friend.  That’s all.

“What about weenie boy?  You seeing him?” Amy asks.

“Hey, no Trebles.  That oath still stands,” Aubrey informs the group.

Chloe feels her teeth clench.  However, it’s simply out of habit from their years at Barden.  She doesn’t have anything against Jesse.  He’s a good guy.  But Chloe actually _was_ jealous of him - jealous that he had what she couldn’t have.  She had quickly learned to associate his name with her romantic frustration, and apparently, she still does based on the way her stomach tightens.  She forces herself to listen to her co-captain’s response.

“No, Jesse and I are just friends.  He has a girlfriend, anyway.”

“We should get you one of those,” Cynthia Rose says with a wink.

Amy lets out a fake cough along with a less-than-discreet “Bloe.”

Beca rolls her eyes.  “You know me.  I date my work.”

“Trust us, we know,” Flo groans.

 

* * *

  

Amy then proceeds to take over the conversation, where she begins to overshare about her and Bumper’s sexual escapades.

“Oh!  And there was this one time in Magic Kingdom at Disney World...”

“Oh my god, no!  Not Disney!” Legacy cringes.

“There are children there!” Aubrey scolds.

Ignoring the protesting Bellas (except for Stacie and Cynthia Rose, who are actually interested in how she pulled that off), the Tasmanian continues to describe what it was like to do it with Bumper on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  

Luckily, Chloe doesn’t catch the details of the story.  As her teeth sink into her bottom lip, her mind goes elsewhere.  To be honest, their last conversation kind of bummed her out.  It made her feel the weight of having Beca so far away.  How Jesse gets to see her whenever he wants.  How he can stop by her work, even if it’s just for five minutes to say hello.  How the people Beca dates can meet up with her for drinks after work.  How they get to see that smile all the time.

Chloe knows they agreed to try harder to stay in touch.  But even if they are successful this time around, she still won’t have those privileges.  She won’t get to see Beca whenever she wants.  She won’t be able to stop by her work without buying a plane ticket.  Any drinks they share together will have to be through a laptop screen.  And she’ll have to actually make plans ahead of time to see that smile.  It’s better than not seeing Beca at all, but it still stings a little bit.

Chloe is pulled away from these dreary thoughts when Beca nudges her with her elbow.  

“Dude, I think I just made, like, the perfect marshmallow.”  Chloe watches Beca remove her skewer from the fire.  “Look at it.  It’s, like, perfectly golden all around.”

“That marshmallow is a masterpiece,” Chloe confirms.

Beca slides the marshmallow onto the graham crackers and chocolate, then holds it out to Chloe.  “Here you go.”

Chloe raises her eyebrows, both surprised and flattered.  “What?  I can’t take your perfect s’more.”

“I don’t really want it.  I’m not a big s’more person, anyway.  I mainly just eat them out of peer pressure.”

Suddenly offended, Fat Amy looks to them and points in the direction of the parking lot.  “Get out.”

“But it contains the _perfect marshmallow_ ,” Chloe argues, ignoring Amy.  “Do you know how hard it is to toast them perfectly?”

“Which means you’ll appreciate it more.”

“I’m serious.  Get out until you can learn to appreciate the gooey perfection that is The S’more,” the Tasmanian says, then shoves a marshmallow into her mouth.

“Split it?” Chloe suggests.  Beca attempts to stare her into submission, but it isn’t going to work.  “Come on, Becs.  Do it for the art of marshmallow-toasting.”

Beca throws her head back and gives an annoyed sigh.  “Fine.”  She takes a bite, then hands it over to Chloe so she can do the same.  

Chloe gives her a white, gooey smile and hands it back.  “So, do you, like, have a thing for giving me marshmallows?”

Beca’s eyes widen as she swallows, suddenly flustered.  “What?  No, I -”  When Chloe begins to laugh, she shoots her a glare.  “Shut up.  It’s a captain’s job to make sure her troops are fed.”  She then tries to shove the s’more towards Chloe’s mouth for another bite, but Chloe dodges it.

“Um, excuse me.”  Chloe crosses her arms, offended.  “I’m more than your troops.  I’m your aca- _wife_.”

Beca steals a glance at Flo, who appears to be in a deep conversation with Cynthia Rose and Legacy.  She leans in a little closer so she can whisper.  “I actually prefer aca-lesbian lover, for your information.”

Chloe suppresses the urge to laugh, and instead rolls her eyes as a cover, a mannerism she adopted from the woman sitting next to her.  She then takes Beca’s arm that holds the s’more and pushes it towards the tiny brunette’s mouth.  “Shut up and eat your perfect s’more, weirdo.”

The s’more hits Beca’s lips under the force of Chloe’s arm, leaving melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow on them.

Beca shoots her a glare and Chloe erupts into laughter.  

“Becs, you’ve got a little something,” she informs the tiny brunette and motions to her lips.

“If I didn’t think it would end in a sticky mess, I’d retaliate,” Beca growls, then grabs a napkin and wipes her face off.  “But I’ll let you have this one.”

“So thoughtful,” Chloe coos, then takes the napkin out of Beca’s hand and uses it to wipe the remaining chocolate that the tiny brunette had missed.

After eating the rest of the s’more, she curls up next to Beca and rests her head on her shoulder.  As she takes in her best friend’s body heat and listens to her fellow Bellas laugh together, she feels a thousand times better, and the weight of her earlier thoughts floats away, allowing her to enjoy what little time she has left with her sisters.

 

* * *

 

It’s not long after that the Bellas reluctantly decide to turn in for the night, knowing that some of them have to catch early flights tomorrow.

Trying not to think about how all of this will be over and she’ll have to return to reality in just a few hours, Chloe shimmies into her sleeping bag.  After exchanging a few texts with Matt, updating him on her day, she sends one last goodnight text and closes her eyes.

She finally feels her body relax as she listens to the peaceful sound of the crickets chirping outside.  She hears a few leaves gently blow in the wind, followed by the sound of the shuffling of a sleeping bag a few feet away.  _Beca_.  

Chloe feels her body stiffen.  For a moment, she wonders if they are going to have a repeat of last night, but she quickly decides it’s not happening.  These noises are not like the scary ones from last night, they’re just the normal sounds of nature.  Beca is probably just trying to get comfortable in her tent.

Chloe takes a deep breath and returns to enjoying the peaceful night until she hears shuffling again.  She tries to shrug it off, but a minute later, the sound comes again.  Yeah, Beca is definitely _not_ comfortable, and the thought of that is enough to keep Chloe awake all night.

She finds herself drowsily sitting up and unzipping her tent.  She turns on the flashlight app on her phone and shines it outside to quickly check for wild animals, then heads to Beca’s tent and slowly unzips it.

She enters to find the tiny brunette sitting up, wide-eyed and hugging her sleeping bag to her chest almost like she’s trying to hide behind it.  When Beca sees that it’s Chloe, she releases a breath and releases the sleeping bag.

“Jesus, Chlo!  You scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry,” Chloe apologizes with a smile as she zips the tent closed behind her.

“Is there a reason why you decided to come in here and give me a heart attack?” Beca asks. 

Without an answer, Chloe scoots her way closer to the other woman. 

The tiny brunette eyes her warily.  “What are you doing?”

“Protecting you,” Chloe hums as she shimmies her way under the sleeping bag.

“And what makes you think I need protecting?” Beca asks with an intrigued smile.

“My tent is literally three feet away.  I could hear you tossing and turning.  It was driving me nuts.”  Chloe’s head hits the pillow.

Beca scoffs nervously.  “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Just lay down, Becs,” Chloe groans and pats the empty space on the pillow next to her.

Beca raises her eyebrows.  “Seriously?  We’re doing this again?”

“Mhm,” Chloe hums with a proud smile.

Beca stares at her for a moment, her mouth hanging slightly open, but she eventually lays down.  

Chloe snuggles closer and puts an arm around her middle, instantly loving the fact that she can feel Beca’s body heat again.  “Better?” she asks.  She knows the tiny brunette would never admit it, but she feels her muscles relax against her own body.

“Yeah,” Beca sighs, and even though it’s too dark to see, Chloe knows there is a smile on her lips.

“Good.”

 

* * *

 

Chloe is woken up to the same loud whistle as the previous morning.

“Come on, Bellas!  We have breakfast to eat and planes to catch!  Let’s go!”

Chloe feels familiar movement under her arm as she groggily opens her eyes. 

Beca groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.  “I am _not_ gonna miss her.”

“I think you secretly are,” Chloe says as she removes her hand from Beca’s middle to rub her eyes.

The whistle blows again.  “Everybody up!  Come on!”

“No, I'm really not,” Beca grumbles.

Chloe sits up with a smile and grabs Beca’s sweatshirt.  She drops it onto the tiny brunette’s stomach.  “Come on, Grumpypants.  Let’s go eat.”

She crawls out of the tent to meet eight pairs of amused eyes and one pair of glaring eyes.  It appears that the Bellas had all hurried out of their tents to witness this.  They erupt into a round of applause.  She blushes, and after getting to her feet, she takes a playful bow.

“Oh my god, seriously?” an annoyed voice calls from behind her.  The grumpy brunette emerges from the tent.  “Are we in middle school?”

“Let us guess.  There was another bear.”  It comes from Flo, who raises an eyebrow.

“I’m not even gonna touch that.  It’s too early for this shit,” Beca says, flipping up the hood of her sweatshirt.

The Bellas giggle and decide to leave it alone for a whole ten seconds as they begin walking to the mess hall.

“So who’s top and who’s bottom?” Fat Amy asks.

“Chloe is definitely a top,” Stacie answers.

Flo nods in agreement.  “Oh yeah.  She totally takes charge in bed.”

Chloe smirks at Beca, who is uncomfortably keeping her gaze on the ground.

“Plus, Beca’s kind of shy,” Stacie adds.

“Beca isn’t that shy,” Chloe informs them.  “That’s just what she wants you to think, right, Becs?”

“I refuse to be involved in this conversation.”

“I could see Beca being a top,” Cynthia Rose chimes in.  “I mean, she does have the whole demanding captain thing going on.”

“I take it back.  I bet they fight each other for it,” Flo decides.

That’s when Beca can’t take it anymore.  “We do not need to be having this conversation!  Chloe and I didn’t do anything!”

Stacie nods.  “Sure, Cap.”

“We _didn’t_!”

Seeing that the tiny brunette is beginning to get really frustrated, Chloe decides it’s time to jump in.  “Come on, guys.  We all know that if Beca and I actually had sex, you totes would have heard her.”

This shocks the Bellas into silence.  Some laugh while others stare with wide eyes, dying to see what happens next.

“Excuse me?” Beca asks with raised eyebrows, half offended, half amused.  “Who says I’m noisy?”

“Nobody,” Chloe smirks, ready to initiate teasing of her own.  “But with me, you would be.  I’m _that_ good.”

This results in a chorus of “ooooh’s” from the rest of the Bellas.

“I think somebody’s a little cocky,” Beca says, brushing her off.

“I don’t need to be.  I know it’s true.  I mean, you were pretty vocal the last time we were naked together, if I remember correctly.”

The Bellas erupt into laughter as Beca’s eyes widen in shock.

“Oh my god, shut up!”  She tries to hide the fact that her cheeks are turning red.

“Don’t feel bad, Becs,” Chloe coos as she puts an arm around her.  “I’ll admit I was pretty vocal, too.”

The Bellas laugh louder and Chloe can practically feel the warmth radiating from Beca’s cheeks.  

Beca uses her hands to cover her face.  “I hate all of you,” she groans.

“No, you don’t,” Chloe sings.

“I really do.”

Still giggling, Chloe pulls her along.  “Come on.  Coffee time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's just about all I have planned for the lodge. Looks like we're moving on to LA! Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I'm open to recommendations!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. My work schedule has been nuts. Plus, this chapter kind of hates me.
> 
> Anyway, I figured we should find out what's going on in Beca's head for a little while. Enjoy!

 

“What if I take her to the pizza place where we had our first date?” Jesse asks, sprawled out on Beca’s couch, half paying attention to the TV that’s really just on for background noise.

“Next,” Beca groans as she enters the living room and hands him a beer.

“What’s wrong with that one?” he asks, offended.

Beca grabs the cloth she had left on the table and heads over to the shelves to dust them.  “It’s cheesy and predictable.  Especially for an anniversary.”

“Steph’s not like you, Bec.  She actually _likes_ the romantic stuff.”  He takes a swig of his beer, then mumbles, “You were a lot easier.”

“Well, I still think that idea is lame.”

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?  I’m dusting.”

Jesse scrunches up his nose.  “Dusting?  You don’t dust.”

It’s true, Beca doesn’t dust.  Or vacuum.  In fact, she’s not much of a ‘clean the house’ person.  She’s not messy or anything, but when it comes to cleaning, she does the bare minimum.  She has never gotten any complaints, so there is no reason to change her ways.

Except this once.  Because Chloe is coming.  Not that Chloe should get special treatment or anything.  But Beca really wants her to have a good time.  And somehow, her brain has convinced her that cleaning the house will help achieve that.

She crosses the room to wipe off the TV.  “Chloe’s coming in two days and I don’t want her to think I’m a slob.”

“Bec, you two lived in the same house.  She knows you’re a slob.”

She shoots him a glare, which only causes his playful smile to grow.

“Oh, in that case, don’t forget to wear your nicest flannel and ear spike.  You don’t want her thinking you’re some kind of uncivilized animal,” he adds.

Beca throws down her dusting cloth as his words remind her of something.  “Fuck!  I forgot to do laundry!”

“I was kidding...”

Beca runs her hands through her hair, overwhelmed by the tasks that come with having company.  “I should probably stop at the grocery store, too.  She’ll probably want something other than mac and cheese and Pop-tarts.  Shit, she said she was a wine-drinker now.  What kind do you think she likes?”

Jesse eyes her suspiciously as he takes another swig of beer.  “You know, you’re putting an awful lot of thought into this...”

Beca picks up the cloth again and resumes dusting.  “No, I just...I miss her, ya know?  Life is less annoying when she’s around.”  

It’s true.  She really had missed her best friend.  She had missed her bubbly personality.  She had missed the way Chloe makes her enjoy doing things she would normally hate.  She had missed the way Chloe makes her feel like the most badass person in the world.  And she’d never admit it, but she did kind of miss the playful banter.  She didn’t realize quite how much until the retreat, and she really hopes she won’t have to go too long missing these things again.

Jesse smiles, teasingly.  “What?  I don’t bring enough sunshine and rainbows into your life?”

Beca can’t contain the loud laugh that comes flying out of her mouth. 

“Ouch,” Jesse grumbles.

“Sorry,” Beca tries.

“I guess you’re right,” Jesse says.  “Nobody lights up the room quite like her.  Plus, she’s easy on the eyes.”  He gives Beca a wink.

“Ew, don’t be gross!”  She gives his arm a quick slap as she plops onto the other end of the couch and grabs her own beer.

“I’m just stating a fact, Bec.”

Beca knows he’s right.  Chloe is, like, crazy pretty.  Everyone knows it.  Even Beca knows it.  And she knows that her eyes are guilty of lingering a little too long when Chloe is in a bathing suit.  On top of her.  Straddling her hips... 

But Chloe’s beauty isn’t what Beca loves most about her.  Chloe really does make life brighter.  It’s like when she’s around, Beca forgets how much everything sucks.  Once, back at Barden, they sat in traffic for three whole hours on the way back from the beach.  Normally, Beca would have been restless and complained the whole time, but on that day, she hadn’t even realized how much time had passed because she and Chloe had sang along to the redhead’s throwback playlist the entire time.  Beca has no idea how she does it, but Chloe can make literally anything better, and Beca is really excited that she is about to make the sucky parts of LA suck a little less.

She is about to respond to Jesse with an eye roll, but is interrupted by her phone vibrating.  She pulls it out of her pocket and smiles when she sees the screen.

“Speak of the devil,” she tells Jesse as she types her password into her phone. 

  _Becaaaaa_

 **Hi Chlo**.

_Can I have your address so I know where to go when I land?_

“What if I write Steph a song?” Jesse asks, his eyes glued to whatever movie is playing on TV.

Beca doesn’t hear him.  She’s too busy typing her reply.

**You know I can just pick you up, right?**

_Won’t you be at work?  I land at 4:38._

“I think she’d be into that,” Jesse continues.

**I’m sure they’ll survive if I leave a little early.**

_Is Beca Effin’ Mitchell skipping work???  For me???   Best aca-wife EVER!_

“I mean, yeah, it’s a little cheesy, but in a good way, right?  And we all know I’m a great composer.”

Still ignoring him, Beca responds to Chloe with an annoyed face emoji.

Chloe instantly replies with the emoji that smiles with all of its teeth.

“Bec?”

**I’ll be at the airport by 4:38.**

_Thanks!  Can’t wait to see you!_

**Of course you can’t.**

She was just going to leave it at that, but she can't resist the urge to play around a little bit.  She quickly types another text and presses send.

**Tbh I don't get how you can stand being away from me for so long.  I'm pretty awesome.**

_I’ll let you have that one ;)_

“Annnd you’re not paying attention to anything I’m saying,” Jesse trails off.

“Sorry,” Beca says, trying to hide her smile as she slips her phone back into her pocket.

“Talking about something interesting?” Jesse asks with raised eyebrows.

“Just confirming her flight.”  She takes a swig of her beer.  “An anniversary song for Steph could work.  _If_ you do it right.”

“Your unwavering faith in me is extremely reassuring.”

 

* * *

 

Thursday quickly approaches, and Beca sits in one of the private suites in the studio with only the glow of the computer monitor lighting up the room.  Her headphones cover her ears and her eyes are closed, tuning the world out as she listens to the demos for the millionth time.  She knows there are probably no more changes to be made – her boss had already given his approval – but this is the most involved she has ever been in the process, and she wants to get it right.

Despite all the precautions she had taken, she is still interrupted and pulled back into the real world when her phone buzzes in her pocket.  She checks the screen.  _Chloe_.  Knowing her flight shouldn’t get in for at least another hour and a half, Beca looks to the computer to check the time.  3:04.  Damn, how fast was that plane going?

She quickly slides the headphones off her ears and answers the call.

“Chlo?”

_“Hey, Becs.”_

Beca notices that Chloe’s voice isn’t nearly as bubbly as usual.

“What’s up?  Don’t tell me you’re here over an hour and a half early.”

_“No.  I’m in Phoenix, actually.  We had a last minute layover.  They just let us get off the plane to get food and stuff.”_

“Is there something wrong with the plane?  Are you okay?”

 _“The plane is fine.  We, um, we ran into this thunderstorm and they decided to land us until it passes.”_  

Beca thinks she can hear Chloe’s voice shaking.

“Oh, okay.  Good.  Well, not good that you had to land, but good that you’re okay.”

_“Yeah.”_

There is a short silence, and Beca can no longer leave the issue unaddressed.  “You know, you don’t _sound_ okay.”

 _“No, I...I’m fine.  I’m just a little shaken up, that’s all.  It was really windy and we hit a lot of turbulence and the thunder sounded so close to us and the lady next to me was freaking out...”_   She trails off, and Beca can definitely hear her trying to calm herself.

She feels her entire body stiffen, and her insides begin to churn.  She feels terrible that poor Chloe is in distress.  

“Chloe, I’m so sorry.  Want me to come get you?”

_“Don’t be ridiculous.  Isn’t that, like, a five hour drive?”_

“So?”

Beca hears Chloe steady her voice.

_“Becs, I’m fine.  Really.  I’m safely on the ground, and the worst of the flight is over.”_

“So what are you doing now?  Just chilling in the airport?”

_“I just bought a coffee and now I’m gonna buy some peanut M &Ms.”_

“Fun.”

There is a knock at the door, and Beca swivels in her seat to see it open to reveal Wes, one of her colleagues.

Even though he clearly sees that she is on the phone, it doesn’t stop him from calling her name.

She fights the urge to shoot him a glare, and the even bigger urge to ignore him altogether.  

To put it plainly, she doesn’t like Wes, and she doesn’t go a single day without wondering how he got his job here.  He’s dense and obnoxious.  He kind of reminds her of Dax, but with a stick up his ass.  Guess every company has a Dax.

“Hold on a sec, Chlo.”  She moves the mouthpiece away from her mouth, then looks to Wes.  “What?”

"Dave wants the updated bridge for the new track,” he says as he adjusts his thick-rimmed glasses on his nose.

“I haven’t gotten to it yet.”

“He really wants that track ASAP.”

“Well, he’s gonna have to wait a little longer,” Beca says, purposely failing to hide the exasperation in her tone.

“He’s not going to be happy.”  Wes nods towards her phone, which she is still holding by her ear.  “Especially when he walks by and sees you having social hour.”

Beca can’t take it anymore.  She had tried so hard to keep her cool, but this guy is just asking for it.  “I don’t give a fuck, Wes!  I’m in the middle of a family emergency right now!  So you can tell Dave to either learn what patience is or to get somebody else to make the damn adjustments!  Got it?”

Wes definitely looks afraid of Beca, but being the slow guy that he is, he just stands there, unsure of what to do.

“Bye!”  Beca waves him away and watches him walk out.  She then redirects her focus to Chloe.  “Hey, I’m back.  Sorry about that.”

_“It’s fine.  I should let you get back to your work.”_

“No, don’t worry about that.  This guy just thinks he’s my boss, even though he actually isn’t, and he has me working on this track that we aren’t even presenting to the artist for another month.  And now he has his unofficial assistant hounding me for it.  They’re just being dicks.  I’m not, like, behind on my work or anything.”

_“Good, because I refuse to be the aca-wife of a slacker.”_

“That’s harsh, Beale.”

 _“Harsh, but true.  You know I like winners,”_ Chloe teases.

“I’ve won three ICCA Championships _and_ Worlds," Beca brags, then puts on a fake-innocent tone.  “And what has Matt won, exactly?”

 _“He won best smile in high school,”_ Chloe answers proudly.

“Wow,” Beca deadpans.  “What an accomplished young man.  I take it all back.”

_“Shut up.  He also won Most Enthusiastic First Grade Teacher at our school’s faculty awards last year.”_

“Yeah...I think I’m still the winner here.”

 _“Okay, Becs,”_ Chloe giggles.

Beca smiles, accepting her victory.

 _“I think I’m going to get back on the plane and just chill there,”_ Chloe continues.

“Want me to stay on the phone until you take off?”

_“No, I’ll be fine.  I’ve got peanut M &Ms and a latte, so everything is good now.  Go back to being a badass music producer.”  _

Beca notes that she sounds more like her normal self now.  She feels her body relax a bit.

“Okay.  You’ll let me know when you take off?”

_“Totes.  Talk to you soon.”_

 

* * *

 

Beca moves on to a new set of demos after she hangs up the phone, but she can’t help but feel a little uneasy.  She knows Chloe said she was fine, and she has no reason not to believe her.  Chloe is not the type of person who is afraid to admit when she is scared.  She doesn’t put on a brave face – unless it’s Bella-related, of course – she just allows her fear to be felt.  So if Chloe says she’s fine, she must really be fine.  But that doesn’t stop Beca’s eyes from straying to check the time every five minutes.  It’s been almost an hour, and Chloe is still on the ground.

Suddenly, as if on cue, her phone vibrates.  She presses the pause button on the computer, slides her headphones off of her ears and answers the call.

“Hey.  You taking off?”

 _“Yeah, I’m taking off.”_   Something sounds off in her tone, but not in the same way as last time.  She sounds...jittery?  Energetic?  Beca can’t really tell.

 _“In the middle of a thunderstorm,”_ Chloe adds, almost laughing.  _“No big deal.”_

That’s when Beca recognizes her tone.  It’s panic.  Chloe is freaking out.

Almost instantly, she feels her entire body tense and she can barely move, except at the same time, she doesn’t want to sit still.  The idea of Chloe in distress makes her begin to panic, herself.

“What?  What do you mean?” Beca manages.

_“They’re preparing us for takeoff.  Except the runway leads right into the dark clouds with lightning coming out of them.”_

“Are you sure they’re letting planes go in that direction?”

 _“I just watched two use that runway, Becs!”_   Beca hears her voice start to shake again. _“I just wanted to teach underprivileged kids and now I’m going to die on an airplane in Phoenix. Of course I would choose to fly the day it decides to freaking monsoon here.”_

Beca doesn’t know what to do.  She’s not great at dealing with people in distress to begin with.  But now that it’s Chloe, her fearless best friend?  She’s even less equipped to deal with this.  Beca can probably count on one hand the number of times Chloe has been afraid to the point of panic.  And each time that happened, Beca just held her hand until she felt better.  She can’t exactly do that from a different state.  So what the hell is she supposed to do?  What _can_ she do?  All she knows is that she feels like she’s going to jump out of her own skin.  Her best friend is in distress, and she needs to do _something._

“Okay, just take a breath,” she tries.

_“A breath is not going to make me feel any better, Beca!”_

She feels her stomach twist into knots at the sound of Chloe's snappy tone.  Okay, so that’s not working.  But what else can she do?  She barely even has a Plan B, let alone a Plan C.  Fuck.

“Just...do it anyway.”  She hears Chloe take a breath, and she’s filled with a tiny glimmer of hope.  “Good.”  She then hears what she thinks is a muffled automated voice on the other end.

_“They just told us to put on our seatbelts.  Bec...I’m scared.”_

Beca nervously runs her hands through her hair as she tries to think of another way to calm her best friend down.  She knows Chloe always tends to lose sight of her logic when she is in distress.  Maybe she just needs a small reminder to ease her mind.  Hey, it’s not like Beca can think of anything else to try.

“I mean, they wouldn’t allow planes to take off in this weather if they didn’t think it was safe, right?”

_“I guess...”_

“Exactly.  The storm probably looks worse than it is.”

There is a short silence until Chloe breaks it.  _“I’m still scared.”_

Her voice is shaking again, and Beca feels her insides churn.  All she wants to do it hop out of her chair and run to Phoenix to get Chloe off that plane.  But she has neither the time nor the stamina to do that.  All she has is her voice, which she tries to keep steady and calm.

“I know you are, dude.  But it’s just a little over an hour, okay?  A little over an hour of this scary thing, and then you’ll be on the ground in LA with me.”

 _“We’re about to move.”_   Her voice raises an octave, which isn’t exactly reassuring.

“Just put on a movie and pretend I’m there holding your hand, okay?” Beca attempts.

_“Okay...”_

“You’ll be fine, I promise.  I’ll see you when you land.”

_“Bec, I...”_

Beca hears her voice get softer, almost timid.  “Yeah?”

There is a short pause before Chloe answers.  _“I’ll see you soon.”_

“Kay.  Hang in there, nerd.”

 

* * *

 

Beca tries to get some work done after that, but she quickly gives up.  She can’t concentrate and her leg won’t stop shaking.  She doesn’t think she has ever felt so anxious in her entire life...and that’s including the time Sammy caught her and Legacy at Residual Heat and wound up listening to their demo.  All she can do is picture Chloe curled tight into a ball on that plane, holding back tears while forcing herself to keep her gaze away from the window and on the TV screen.  And Beca’s heart fucking breaks.

She glances back at the computer screen.  It’s no use.  She has to head to the airport soon anyway.  A few minutes won’t make a difference.  Plus, it would probably make Chloe feel a lot better if Beca was already there waiting for her when she landed.

Beca quickly presses the save button and exits her editing software.  She grabs her bag and heads to her boss’ office.  When she arrives, she knocks softly on the doorframe, forcing him to pull his attention away from his computer screen.

“Mitchell,” he greets as she enters.

“Hey, Ricky.  I’m heading out.”

“The demos are set for tomorrow?”

“Yeah.  They’re in the folder.”

“Perfect.”

“Okay, well, see you in the morning,” she says with a wave, then heads for the door.

“Oh, Mitchell, wait a sec.” 

Beca turns back around.

“I almost forgot.  I need you to look at the third track on Regina Woods’ album for me real quick.  Mike said something is wrong with the bass.”

She’s about to ask him if he means right now, but then she remembers that it’s Ricky, her boss with unrealistic expectations, and of course he means right now.

“Uh, yeah.”  With a sigh, she heads for the door, ready to head back into the suite and drop everything for work once again.  But then she gets a new image of Chloe in her head – this time, she's frantically searching for Beca at the luggage pickup.  

She finds herself turning back around and re-entering Ricky’s office.

“Um, actually, I really have to go.  I’m already late.  But I’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning.”

Too afraid to wait for a response, she turns and heads for the door again.

“Mitchell.”

Fuck.  She turns back around to see him staring at her.  She can’t tell if he’s glaring at her or if it’s just his resting bitch face.

“Tell your friend welcome to LA.”

Beca feels herself release a breath and she gives a small nod.  “I will.”  With that, she heads to the airport.

 

* * *

 

After getting lost only twice, Beca manages to find the correct luggage carousel.  From what she can tell, Chloe’s flight has not landed yet.  She pulls her headphones over her ears and finds a column to lean against while she waits.

She feels her fingers begin to tap the column behind her.  She knows she talked Chloe down a bit, but she still can’t seem to shake the nerves.  Hopefully, Chloe isn’t completely traumatized by the time she lands.  At least once she gets here, it will be a little easier for Beca to make her feel better.  But she actually has to _land_ first.

Beca finally sees movement out of the corner of her eye, and she looks to see people filing out of the jetway.  She pulls her headphones off of her ears to rest around her neck and scans the crowd for a familiar bouncy red blob.

Chloe spots Beca just seconds after she emerges from the jetway, and flashes her one of her typical glowing smiles.

Beca can finally breathe again, and her insides untangle from the tight knots they were previously in.  She feels her own smile on her lips as she approaches her best friend.  

Chloe practically runs towards her like an excited child.  Knowing it’s coming, Beca outstretches her arms for a suffocating hug.

“Hi,” Chloe hums.

“Congrats on surviving,” Beca says as Chloe releases her.  She gives her a quick once-over.  “You good?”

“Yeah.  It cleared up, like, twenty minutes in.”

“Good.”  

Chloe just stares at her for a moment, the same glowing grin still on her lips.  “I missed you.”

“Dude, it’s been, like, four days.”

“Your point?”

Beca tries to hide her growing smile.  “Grab your bag, nerd.”

After Chloe effortlessly pulls her suitcase off the luggage carousel – Beca can’t help but think Stacie really was right about those biceps – they head to Beca’s car, ready to kick off their weekend together.  And Beca isn’t going to lie, she’s pretty pumped.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was attempting to do two chapters at once so I could post them at the same time, but I gave up on that plan, so here's this one.
> 
> Also, I know nothing about how the music industry works or any of the technical stuff, so pretty much anything related to Beca's job is an educated guess.
> 
> Other than that, enjoy!

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Beca says dryly as she closes the front door behind her. 

She watches Chloe walk further down the hallway and instantly begin surveying the house.  She tries to suppress the urge to smile at the way Chloe’s eyes dart around, taking in every detail. 

Beca likes to think that when encountering new things, Chloe is like a little kid.  Her curiosity gets the best of her and she has to explore every nook and cranny.  And she’s always amused by what she finds.

“Regretting not staying in a hotel?” Beca finally asks.

“No, I love it,” Chloe assures her, her eyes still darting around.  “I just...never pictured you as a house person.”

“You think I can’t settle down and be domestic?  That hurts, Beale.”

Chloe’s eyes widen in horror.  “No, I - of course not!”

Beca drops her fake-offended expression and puts on a smile, quite proud of herself.  It’s fun to see Chloe get flustered for once.  “Dude, I’m kidding.  I never thought of myself as a house person either.”  She nods in the direction of the kitchen.  “Come on, I’ll show you around.”  They begin walking.

“Okay so...living room...”  Beca points to the living room. “Bathroom...”  She points to the bathroom as they pass it.  “Kitchen...Feel free to eat whatever you can find.  Although there isn’t much.”

She leads Chloe to Jack’s old room, which is now the guest room.

“Here’s your room.”

“Aw, I don’t get to sleep with you?” Chloe whines as she wheels her suitcase into the room.

Beca smugly leans against the doorframe and crosses her arms with an amused smile.  “An exception was made at the lodge.  Luckily, there are no bears around here.”

Chloe plops onto the bed, unafraid to make herself at home.  “Luckily?  I think the word you’re looking for is ‘unfortunately.’”

“In your dreams, Beale.”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Chloe says with a smile.

Beca feels her mouth drop open slightly, and she is unable to come up with a witty response.  She’s not sure why she is surprised by that comment – she should have seen it coming – but she uses all of her strength to keep her cheeks from turning pink.  “You have an early morning tomorrow, so I figured we’d just order takeout and stay in for the night.  Is that cool?”

“Totes.  Can we watch a movie, too?”   

Beca shoots her a glare – an automatic response anytime somebody makes that suggestion.  Especially Chloe of all people should know better than that.

“Kidding!” Chloe giggles.

“Fuck you.”

“Yes, please!” Chloe gives her a flirtatious wink.

“Oh my god,” Beca groans.  Flustered, she points out the door towards the stairs.  “Food.  Let’s get food.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Turn left_ ,” the GPS calls in its robotic voice.  “ _In point two miles, the destination is on your right._ ”

Beca taps her thumb against the steering wheel to the beat of the random song Chloe put on the radio.  She goes over her schedule for the day in her head as the caffeine from the coffee Chloe had made her this morning slowly starts to kick in.  At least it's finally Friday.

“Remember I can’t pick you up, so you’ll have to Uber it back to my place.  You have my address, right?” Beca asks as she pulls into the Allegro School parking lot.

“Yeah,” Chloe answers.

Beca pulls into a parking spot.  She gives the building a once-over.  “It’s cute.  It gives off the whole ‘sunshine and rainbows’ vibe.  You’ll fit right in.”

“Yeah.”  It comes out quiet and unenthusiastic and completely un-Chloe-like. 

Beca feels her insides churn, as if she has an internal alarm that alerts her when something is wrong with her best friend.  “You okay, dude?”

Chloe fiddles with the zipper on her purse that sits in her lap.  “I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t be.  You’re gonna nail it.”

“But what if I don’t?”

Beca sighs.  Chloe is always so confident that it often makes Beca forget that there is one thing she is actually insecure about: her future.  She always prefers to live in the moment, and when she encounters an opportunity that could alter her future, she feels helpless and panics.  Graduation was the prime example.  Chloe was so overwhelmed by all of the options she had by entering the real world that she decided to avoid it altogether and stick with the place and people that made her comfortable.  That is, until the Bellas gave her a little push.

It looks like she’s still the same way.  She’s afraid of taking the next step toward her dream, and she’s starting to doubt herself.  So Beca is going to have to give her that little push.

“You will,” Beca says, extremely sure of herself.  “It’s like how I’m Beca Effin’ Mitchell: badass music producer.  You’re...you’re Chloe Freakin’ Beale: badass teacher.  They’d be stupid not to want you and your dumb pun stickers.”

Chloe laughs, and it’s music to Beca’s ears.  She watches the redhead light up into her typical bubbly self.

“You’re gonna be great.”

“Thanks, Becs.”  Chloe gives her one of her blinding smiles and opens the car door.  “I’ll see you later.”

“Knock ‘em dead, awesome nerd,” Beca calls.

Chloe blows her a kiss and closes the door.

Beca watches her confidently walk to the school’s front door, and once she sees that Chloe gets in okay, she puts the car in drive and heads to work.

 

* * *

 

After slamming her car door shut, Beca heads to the front door with her keys jingling in her hand.  

What a shitty day.  On Beca’s list of shitty days, this one is pretty close to the top.  Why is it that every time things are finally going well for her, life decides to screw her over?  And why did it have to be work of all things?  Isn’t making music supposed to be, like, fun?  It shouldn’t result in sucky days like this one.  All Beca wants to do is go to bed and pretend it didn’t happen.

After fumbling to unlock the front door – because of course her lock would decide not to cooperate after the day she has had – she enters with an annoyed sigh.  As she makes her way further inside, her nose is hit with a savory scent.  Is that...food?  Is her stove being used to make something other than ramen noodles?

“Chlo?”

“In here!” Chloe calls from the kitchen.

“Sorry I’m so late,” Beca says as she enters the kitchen and drops her keys and bag onto their designated spot on the counter.

“Actually, you’re just in time,” Chloe informs her.  Like clockwork, a timer goes off.  After silencing it, she throws on oven mitts and pulls the pan out.

Beca sees that it contains something yellow, and suddenly, she recognizes the familiar scent.  “Is that Mama Beale’s homemade mac and cheese?”

“Sure is,” Chloe answers with a proud smile as she places the pan on what Beca realizes is a set table.

“You made me dinner?” Beca asks.  She feels herself smile for the first time since she dropped Chloe off this morning.  Chloe _cooked_ for her.  She straight up went out of her way to find a grocery store and made Beca’s favorite meal.  Nobody has ever done that for her before.  Leave it to Chloe to do something so sweet.

“You let me stay here.  It’s the least I can do,” Chloe says as she opens a beer and hands it to Beca.

Unable to form words at the moment, Beca sits down and allows Chloe to spoon the mac and cheese onto her plate.  When Chloe stops after two scoops, her eyebrows hit her hairline.  “Um, that’s it?  Don’t you know me at all, woman?”

“I figured you’d want to start of slow.  Jeez!” Chloe complains as she plops another spoonful onto Beca’s plate.

“Thank you,” Beca says with an innocent smile.  She doesn’t even wait for Chloe to serve herself before shoving a forkful – or three – into her mouth.  She notices Chloe staring at her with an amused smile.

“Enjoying it much?”

“Dude, you know this is, like, my favorite thing in the entire world.”

Chloe giggles and gathers her own forkful of mac and cheese.

“So how’d the interview go?” Beca asks with a full mouth.

“It went well,” Chloe replies.  “I feel pretty good about it.”

“You feel pretty good about it?  That’s all I get?”

It’s like Beca suddenly plugged Chloe in, because the redhead lights up and is practically bouncing with excitement.

“It was kind of awesome.  Actually, it’s perfect.  It’s obviously a private school since it’s performing arts-based, but it really has a public school feel to it.  They aim it towards families with lower incomes who normally wouldn’t be able to send their kids to a performing arts school.  And oh my god Beca, it’s the cutest little place and everything is so colorful and when I walked in they had this bulletin board with a musical staff on it with pictures of the teachers...get it?  Because they’re the staff!”

“Wow.  You were made for this place.”

“I know!  And when I walked down the hall I could hear music coming from some of the classrooms and some of the kids were singing!  It was so great!  I really hope I get the job.”

“I’m sure you will.  You charm the pants off of anyone you meet.”

“That’s not true.  Your pants are still on.”

Beca’s fork stops halfway to her mouth and she accepts the challenge, quickly countering it with her own witty response.  “I’m immune.  That’s what I get for being your roommate and co-captain.”

“I don’t believe that.  Nobody can resist this face.”

Beca rolls her eyes.  “Okay, Chlo.”

“It’s gonna happen.  One day, I’ll get those pants off.”  Chloe gives her a wink, and Beca has to fight the urge to smile.

“We’ll see.”  

With that, Beca resumes stuffing her face with mac and cheese, and they eat in comfortable silence for a few moments.  Beca’s starting to wonder if they really are aca-wives.  Isn’t this, like, what old married couples do?  And why doesn’t she mind it?

“So, what’s wrong?” Chloe asks casually as she takes a sip from her glass of wine.

“Hm?” Beca asks, not yet catching on.

“Something’s upsetting you,” Chloe elaborates.  

Beca’s eyes shoot up to meet hers.  How could Chloe know that?  Does Beca seem unenthusiastic about the school?  Is she moping again?  Did she not just participate in the playful banter?

Chloe smiles.  “You forget, I’ve known you for nine years.  And you looked like you got hit by a truck when you walked in the door.”

Of course Chloe would notice that.  Chloe would notice if one hair on Beca’s head was moved and ask who she has to fight to make everything better, even if it means ruining her newly manicured nails.  Because Chloe is just that kind of person.  The kind of person who is willing to put her excitement aside once she notices Beca is the slightest bit unhappy.  She really is a great friend.  But Beca doesn’t want to put a damper on things, and quite frankly, there’s nothing Chloe can do about it, so why bother bumming them both out?

“It’s nothing,” Beca answers as she pushes the mac and cheese around on her plate.  “Bad day at work.”

“Aw, what happened?”

“It’s not important.  This day is about your awesome interview, remember?”

“Come on, Becs, tell me.  Please?”

Chloe flashes her big blue puppy dog eyes, and Beca knows she’s done for.  She puts down her fork with a sigh.  “So we have this artist.  His name is Stevie.”

Chloe crinkles her nose in disgust.  “Stevie?  What kind of name is that?  Does he not realize that only works for Stevie Nicks?”

“Ugh, I know,” Beca groans.  “Kid thinks he’s gonna be the next Justin Bieber or something.  Anyway, he’s pretty new.  He released an EP last year and now he signed with us to produce an album.  They’re expecting it to, like, launch his career.  No pressure, right?  So, after I was assigned to this project, I listened to his old stuff and made a few demos with a similar sound.  Today was the day he came in to listen to them.”

“And?”

“And he hated them.  Every.  Single.  One.  He said they weren’t what he wanted his sound to be anymore,” Beca scoffs.  The more she thinks about it, the more pissed she gets. 

“Oh my god, what a diva!”

“Yeah, tell me about it.  And then his manager basically flipped a shit on my boss, who then flipped a shit on me.”

“That’s terrible!  It was’t your fault.”

“That’s not even the worst part.  Sia is set to record an album with us soon and my boss was going to let me produce it, which is something I’ve, like, always dreamed of.  But while he was screaming at me, he said I could forget about that if I don’t fix this whole thing with Stevie.  I need a new demo by Monday.”

“You’ll get it done.  You always do.”

One of the many things Beca loves about Chloe is her optimism.  No matter how bad the situation is, she almost always manages to keep her head up and lift everyone else’s with hers.  And although Beca is so grateful for it – it got her through some rough times at Barden – she feels that there are some problems that Chloe’s optimism can’t fix.

“I don’t know about that this time, dude,” Beca admits with a sigh.  “Maybe I’m just not meant to produce a legit album by myself.  I mean, how can I expect to work with someone like Sia if I can’t even make one good demo for this newbie douche next door that doesn’t even know his way around the industry?  I’ve just been kidding myself.”

Chloe puts her fork down a little too forcefully.  “Did your team share their stupid pills with you today?”

Not in the mood to be reprimanded, Beca takes a sip of her beer.  Although, it’s completely pointless because Chloe keeps going.

“Did you forget who you are?  You’re Beca Effin’ Mitchell: badass music producer.”

“I was Beca Effin’ Mitchell at Barden.  Here I’m just...one of the hundreds of aspiring music producers trying to make it in the industry.”

“Oh my god, you are so much more than that,” Chloe groans. 

Dreading the fact that she is being pulled into a pep talk, Beca reaches for her fork so she can pretend to concentrate on eating.  But Chloe knows her too well and intercepts her hand.

“Look, Becs.  The moment I heard you in that shower, I knew you were special.  And all of the times we spent together after that – all of the mixes, all of the Riff-Offs, all of the performances – only proved me to be right.  You really are good at what you do.  Don’t let one bad experience make you doubt yourself.”

Beca stares at her lap.  She appreciates what Chloe is doing, but she really wants it to be over.  She hates being the center of attention, even if it is just her and her best friend.  “Mhm.”

Chloe squeezes her hand.  “Hey.”  

Beca brings herself to look into those sparkling blue eyes that are filled with so much warmth.  “You’re going to fix this and you’re gonna be aca-awesome.”

“Kay,” Beca mumbles.  She picks up her fork again once Chloe frees her hand.

“Who are you?” Chloe asks with enthusiasm.

Beca knows exactly what her best friend is doing.  She’s trying to get her psyched, but it’s not going to work.  “Chlo–”

“Say it.”

In an attempt to get out of this once again, Beca begins gathering another forkful of mac and cheese.  “I’m not doing this.”

“Say it,” Chloe says more firmly as she rises from her seat and heads towards Beca.

Beca feels her body tense and she puts down her fork.  She knows exactly what’s about to happen, and she doesn’t want to risk the chance of injury.  “I know that look...”  She points a warning finger at the redhead.  “Chloe, don’t you dare –”

But it’s too late.  Chloe’s arms dart towards her, and despite Beca’s attempt to swat them away, they head right to her torso, initiating a one-sided tickle war.

“Chloe!”

“Who are you?” Chloe demands as her fingers continue attacking Beca’s ribs.

Although Beca would much rather continue to wallow in her own self-pity, she needs this torture to end.  Now.  “I’m Beca Effin’ Mitchell,” she mumbles as she continues trying to free herself from Chloe’s hands.

Chloe, however, doesn’t stop.  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over your lack of enthusiasm.  What’s your name?”

“Beca Effin’ Mitchell!” Beca blurts.

“And?”

“I’m gonna be aca-awesome.”

“Damn right you are,” Chloe says proudly and returns to her seat as if nothing happened.

“You’re cruel,” Beca grumbles as she catches her breath.

“Somehow, I think I’ll be able to live with that.”

Beca finally brings herself to pick up her fork again and continue working on her quickly disappearing mac and cheese.  She feels kind of embarrassed for bringing Chloe into her pity party, but at the same time she feels...better?  Chloe’s words of encouragement might have actually worked.  Maybe.

“Sorry for just, like, dumping that on you,” she finally says.

“Becs, don’t be.  You’re supposed to dump things on me.  I’m your best friend, remember?”

Beca allows a small smile to creep onto her lips.  How the fuck has she managed to fall out of touch with Chloe for over two years?  How has she managed to allow herself to become disconnected from such an amazing person?  All she knows is that she’s determined to not let it happen again.  It feels way too good to have Chloe around.

“So, what do you want to do tonight?” Beca asks.  “Do you want to go out, or...?”

“I’m kinda tired.  Can we just stay in and watch a movie?”

This results in a glare.  “Seriously?” Beca deadpans.

“Pleeeaase?  I’ll pick a good one.”

 

* * *

 

And that’s how Beca finds herself settling on the couch a little while later after they finished eating and cleaned up.

“Can we watch Grease?” Chloe asks excitedly.

Beca doesn’t even have to look at her to know she’s giving her the iconic puppy dog eyes.  “Fine.  But only if we can skip those boring monologue songs.”

“All but Rizzo’s song.  That one is too good to skip.”

“Deal.”  They shake hands.

As Chloe pulls the movie up, Beca grabs a blanket and drapes it over the both of them.  Chloe instantly closes the distance between them and curls into Beca’s side as if she does it every night.  Beca’s not surprised.  After four years of Bella movie nights, Chloe cuddling her had practically become a routine.  

She remembers being terrified the first time it happened.  “I’m a cuddler,” Chloe had informed her literally a mere second before she curled right into her side as if she had done it a million times.  Beca had been extremely uncomfortable at first, but she quickly learned to accept it, and even came to enjoy it eventually.  She knows it’s just Chloe being Chloe.  Plus, the extra warmth and the lavender scent that comes with the redhead’s close proximity isn’t exactly a bad thing.

For the first time since she left for work, Beca feels relaxed.  So relaxed in fact, that she doesn’t mind sitting through this dumb movie.

They get to the scene on the track where Sandy decides to forgive Danny and leave the football player.  

Beca cringes.  She hates this scene.  “Don’t do it.  Don’t forgive him,” she tells the TV.

“Why?” Chloe asks, still curled up against her.  “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I’ll never understand why she changes for him in the end.”

Her freshman year at Barden, she had told Jesse that she doesn’t like movies because she always gets bored before the end.  And it’s true.  But she also hates that when she does manage to watch the whole thing, the ending winds up sucking.  Like this movie, in her opinion.  Even the music and the period clothing can’t keep her from getting frustrated with the ending.

“Because they love each other,” Chloe explains.

“So?  That doesn’t mean she should re-invent herself for him.”  

Chloe raises her head, clearly interested in what Beca has to say.

Beca thinks for a moment, then continues.  “I get that he tried to change for her, too, but let’s be real.  How long was that going to last?  Who is the one who looks and acts differently in the end?”

“You’re really worked up about this,” Chloe observes with a smile.

“I don’t get their relationship.  I think if you truly love somebody, you should love them for who they are, flaws and all.  It’s one thing if they decide they want to change for you, but you should never make them feel like they have to.”

“So you never changed for Jesse?  Not even because you loved him?”

“Not on purpose.  I mean, I did learn to suck it up and tolerate a movie every once in awhile for him, but I feel like that would have happened anyway once I got to Barden.  He just got to me first.”

Chloe takes it in for a moment, and Beca can practically hear all the thoughts whizzing around in her head.  “You know what?  I think every person we meet changes us a little bit, even if they don’t know they’re doing it.  It’s inevitable.”

“So you’re saying I changed you?” 

“Sure.  Not too much, but...” Chloe bites her lip as she thinks for a second.  “You taught me how to stand up for myself.”

“Really?” Beca asks, surprised.  She had always thought of Chloe as a brave and confident person, probably the most brave and confident person she knows, actually.  Sure, Aubrey did boss her around a lot, but Beca had always viewed Chloe as a fearless leader.

“Not directly.  But the whole thing with Aubrey your freshman year?  I finally got the courage to call her out on her shit because she kicked you out of the Bellas.  You standing up to her kind of showed me that it was okay.”

“You’re welcome.”

Chloe giggles.  “Thank you, Becs.”

Beca considers letting the conversation die and returning to watching the movie, but the question is eating away at her.  It flies out of her mouth before she can stop it.  “Do you think Matt changed you?”

“Maybe a little...I think I’ve gotten more serious since we’ve been dating.” 

“What do you mean?”

“We just interact in a more mature way, I guess.  Like, I feel more like a real adult when I’m with him, especially since we moved in together.  I don’t know...I guess I’ve just gotten more...domesticated?  We go to dinner parties and have Sunday brunch with his parents and stuff...It’s not a bad thing, we still play around sometimes, but I’m not a total weirdo around him like I am with you and the Bellas.”

Beca’s eyebrows furrow in confusion and she’s happy Chloe can’t see her face.  She doesn’t get it.  Chloe _not_ acting like a total weirdo?  How is that even possible?  

In Beca’s opinion, Chloe’s weirdness is what makes her so Chloe-like.  Well, that and her insanely bubbly personality of course.  Beca can’t even imagine her going to brunch with a bunch of old people and drinking tea with her pinky up while sitting completely still and only speaking when spoken to.  The thought of Chloe being confined like that makes her cringe.  In fact, the thought of Chloe suppressing her weirdness at all makes her cringe.  Even though she may hide it behind an eye roll, Beca loves that Chloe is a complete lunatic, and she wouldn’t have her any other way.  And neither should Matt.

But she bites her tongue.  She’s not about to open that can of worms.  She hasn’t seen Chloe in years and she hasn’t even met Matt.  She doesn’t know what it’s like with them in Florida.  For all she knows, there could be a whole other explanation.  

“I guess we’re all just different around different people,” she finally reasons.

“Yeah,” Chloe hums.

Beca forces herself to focus on the movie again, and to her disappointment, Sandy forgives Danny.

 

* * *

 

Once they finish the movie – and Beca cringes throughout the ending – they decide to turn in for the night.  They have an early morning tomorrow.

After getting into bed, Beca shuts off her lights and pulls out her laptop.  She plugs her headphones into the jack and pulls up her editing software.  Here, alone in the dark, she has nothing to focus on but her music.  Specifically, fixing this demo.  Chloe was right.  She is Beca Effin’ Mitchell, and she’s gonna blow that bratty little douche away.

She quickly gets lost in her mix.  Her eyes float over sound waves and her fingers hit keys on the keyboard.  She’s determined to make a killer demo.

Except everything she tries, she doesn’t like.  She spends god knows how long experimenting with the melody, just to realize the changes she made don’t work.  And the whole thing turns into a big mess.  She releases an annoyed sigh and presses the combination on her keyboard a little too hard.

That’s when she notices her door move out of the corner of her eye, and she looks up to see Chloe’s silhouette.  She removes her headphones as Chloe enters further into the room.

“Beca, it’s almost three a.m.  What are you still doing up?” Chloe asks groggily.

“I’m trying to fix this piece of garbage,” Beca grumbles, then realizes that the reverb somehow got off and furiously presses one of the buttons.  “And it’s not fucking _working_.”

Chloe sits on the foot of the bed.  “Come on.  You’re exhausted.  You’ll have better luck tomorrow with some rest and a clear head.”

Beca waves Chloe away.  She can’t stop now.  She has to fix this, even if she has to stay up all night to do it.  “I won’t be able to sleep until it’s done,” she tells Chloe.  “I’ll get it eventually.”

“Alright, that’s it.  I’m staging an intervention,” Chloe announces.  She swipes the laptop from Beca’s lap.

Beca can’t believe she just did that.  “Chloe!  What the hell?”  She reaches for the laptop, but the redhead holds it out of reach. 

“You need to go to bed.”

Beca watches Chloe balance the laptop on her arm and press the save button.  Not in the mood to play around, she reaches for the laptop again.  “Chlo, I’m fine.  Give it back.”

Still holding it out of reach, Chloe closes the lid and crosses the room to place it on Beca’s dresser.  “Your mix will still be here in the morning.”  She crosses back to the bed and pulls the blanket down.  “Lay down,” she commands in what Beca recognizes as her captain voice.

She blinks at the redhead for a moment, somewhat shocked that she’s doing this right now.  She really wants to hold her own and force Chloe to let her have her way, but she also knows not to mess with Chloe when she is in captain mode.  Plus, her eyes do kind of hurt.  With an annoyed sigh, she gets under her side of the blanket.

From the other side of the bed, Chloe crawls under the blanket and scoots closer to Beca.  She rests her head in the crook of her neck and puts an arm around her stomach, much like she did in the tent at the reunion.

“What are you doing?” Beca asks.

“I don’t trust you,” Chloe answers and gives her torso a squeeze.  “Now you’re stuck here.”

Beca knows better than to argue.  Instead, she just rolls her eyes.  “You’re crazy.”

“And you’re cuddly,” Chloe replies.

Beca bites back a smile.  “Goodnight, Chloe.”

“Night,” Chloe hums back.

Beca closes her eyes as the familiar scent of lavender travels up her nose.  And she sleeps like a baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one should be coming soon! And it has more action than this one, I promise!
> 
> Also, I FINALLY decided when and how I want their relationship to *physically* progress, so you have that to look forward to in a few chapters! Thank you all for your patience!


	8. Chapter 8

After Chloe wakes Beca up bright and early – Beca is not very happy about it – and getting some caffeine in their systems, they hop in Beca’s car, ready to start their tourism day.  Their first stop is the Third Street Promenade.

Chloe loves it.  All of the stores, the street performers, the colors, the people, the sun...everything.  She practically drags Beca down the sidewalk and into each store.  And even though she can tell that Beca is a little off this morning, the tiny brunette puts on a smile for her and attempts to be somewhat enthusiastic, which Chloe really appreciates. 

After eating lunch, they decide they have had enough shopping and they begin walking back to the car.

“So where do you want to go next?” Beca asks as she digs around in her purse for her keys.

“Your recording studio,” Chloe answers without missing a beat.

“My recording studio?  Why would you–”  Then she realizes what the redhead is doing.  Her hand gives up on finding the keys and she stops walking.  “Chloe, no–”

“I know you’re trying to put on a smile for me, but I can tell it’s eating away at you.  So let’s go make a demo.”

“Dude, I– I’m not going to drag you to my work like this.  I’m fine, really.”

But Chloe is not going to let Beca win this one.  Quite honestly, she doesn’t really care about where they go, she just wants to spend time with her best friend.  And it kills her to think that Beca is going to be an anxious mess all day.  She just wants to make her feel more at ease.

“Hey.  You said you’d take me anywhere I wanted to go today.  And I want to go to your studio.  So come on.”  Chloe grabs Beca’s hand and begins pulling her along.

Beca runs a hand through her hair as they walk.  Her face swims with guilt.  “I’m, like, totally ruining your vacation.”

“No, you’re not,” Chloe argues.  “You know I love watching you mix.  Plus, now I’ll get to say I’ve been in a real recording studio.”

Beca groans in protest, but Chloe knows she has won.  And she’s totes excited about it.

 

* * *

 

Chloe eagerly follows Beca to the front door of a large corporate-looking building that has to be, like, twenty stories.  

“You have a weird look,” Beca points out as she swipes her ID, unlocking the door.

“I didn’t expect your studio to be in a building like this,” Chloe explains.

“Yeah.  We share it with a few other companies, but we own the top few floors.  They remodeled them when the label bought them to make it look like an actual recording studio.”

They walk through a rather nice lobby with lots of cozy-looking couches and chairs and they pass an empty receptionist desk to get to the elevators.

The studio is on level eighteen.  Beca unlocks the glass doors.  “Welcome to my second home.”

The place is professional, yet gives off a homey vibe at the same time.  The sitting area contains a bunch of couches, a flat screen TV, and an Xbox, which Chloe is sure Beca plays all the time.  In the corner is a minibar, which is next to a large window that gives an amazing view of the street below.

“I thought Residual Heat was nice, but this is...wow.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad,” Beca agrees, then unlocks another door.  “The studio is in here.”

Chloe enters and instantly starts surveying the room.  It kind of looks like the studio at Residual Heat...at least, from what she remembers that one time Beca forgot her headphones there and she tagged along when the tiny brunette went back to get them.

“You can park in one of the chairs.  Unless you want to sit on one of the couches instead.  I’ll be right back.”  Beca disappears out another door.

After peeking at the soundboard, the speakers, and other technology that Chloe knows she cannot identify, she opts to plop into one of the swivel chairs that sits in front of the giant soundboard rather than the couch.  She totes wants to see Beca work her magic up close.

Beca comes back a minute later with a couple of water bottles, a thumb drive, and a few sheets of paper.  She places them on the table and logs into the computer.  “We make demos a bunch of different ways here.  In this case, he gave me the lyrics first.  Basically, I need to build a song around them.”  

Chloe takes the sheets of paper, which contain the lyrics, and reads the first one.  “Wow, these are surprisingly sincere.  I expected songs about wanting to sleep with every woman he sees.”

“Yeah, his lyrics are actually decent.  He’s just a douche in real life.”

Chloe places the papers back in front of Beca.  “Alright, Miss Beca Effin’ Mitchell.  Have at it.”  She leans back in her seat, ready to watch her best friend work her magic.

Beca sticks the thumb drive into the computer, and after pulling the file up, she just stares at it for a moment.

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into coming here.  There’s no point in having this equipment if I don’t even have an idea of what I want to do.”

“Just try it.”

With a sigh, Beca presses the play button on the track.  She stops it about halfway through and begins working.  Chloe gets excited when she starts picking the song apart and making changes to the individual pieces.  

But her excitement quickly dies a little while later when Beca angrily flips a few switches and the studio goes silent.  The tiny brunette lets out a frustrated groan and rubs the bridge of her nose.  “This is pointless.  I give up.  This music career thing was nice while it lasted.”

“That’s bullshit,” Chloe tells her.

“What do you expect me to do, Chloe?  I’ve tried everything.”

“Maybe you’re going about it the wrong way,” Chloe suggests.

“What other way is there?” Beca asks, annoyed.

Chloe picks up the sheet of lyrics for a song called “My Confession” and skims it again.  “This is a love song.  He’s using it to tell a girl how he feels about her.”

“Yeah, and?”

“So we need the music to help him get his message across.  We need it to make her fall for him back, right?”  Chloe tenses a bit, praying she’s not sounding totally stupid right now.  She doesn’t know much about producing music, but she has to try something.  She needs to make it all better for Beca.

“Yeah...”

“So let’s do that.”

“Easier said than done, Chlo.  I’ve been trying to do that for days,” Beca sighs.

“Forget about Stevie.  Forget about his sound.  Forget about your boss and Sia.  If we were back at Barden and you were making a mix to tell someone special you love them, what would it sound like?”  She sees Beca’s face change as her words register in the tiny brunette’s brain.  She puts the lyric sheet back on the table.  “Now make it.”

That’s when Chloe realizes Beca is staring at her.  Even though the tiny brunette is wearing a small smile, it’s an intense stare, as if she’s an artist trying to study Chloe’s face before drawing it.  To be honest, it’s making her a little self conscious.

But before she can ask Beca why she’s looking at her like that, steely blue eyes skim the lyrics again, and suddenly, tiny hands are flipping switches and turning knobs.  Beca’s making music.

Chloe never takes her eyes off of her.  She’s completely entranced.  The way Beca’s eyes analyze sound waves, the way her fingers thoughtlessly float over the soundboard, the way she closes her eyes to listen to the progress she’s made.

She becomes even more entranced when Beca begins asking for her opinion.  When Beca explains what she’s doing when Chloe doesn’t know what something is.  When Beca has her start singing the lyrics to make sure they fit well with the song.

Hours go by, but Chloe doesn’t even notice.  She’s having way too much fun.  She has missed collaborating with her co-captain.

Beca flips a final switch, then leans back in her seat with a sigh.  “I think we’ve got it.”

“Told you you could do it,” Chloe says with a smirk.

“Yeah, what else is new?” Beca asks sarcastically.  She takes a long swig from her water bottle, then nods towards the glass window in front of her.  “Alright, missy.  Get your ass in the booth.”

Chloe feels her mouth drop open.  Is Beca serious?  “I– What?”

“We need to record the vocals.”

“And you want _me_ to do it?”

“You already know how the song goes.  And you have a great voice, so...”

Chloe rarely gets nervous, especially when it comes to singing.  But she is right now.  She hasn’t sang professionally in years.  In fact, her most recent musical experiences range from singing nursery rhymes with her class to singing in the car with Matt.  That's about it.  And she’s surely never sang for a demo before, especially one that will be heard by a bunch of important music executives.

But one look at her best friend – at those comforting steely blue eyes that have so much faith in her – and she can’t say no.  “You’ll talk me through it?”

“Of course.”  Beca grabs her keys and unlocks the booth door for Chloe.

As she puts on her headphones, Chloe sees Beca reappear back on the other side of the glass.

Beca presses the intercom button.  “Alright, warm it up.”

Chloe does a couple of vocal exercises, then looks to Beca through the glass and gives her a thumbs up.

“Now just sing something so I can adjust your levels.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Chloe calls and gives a mock salute.  She thinks for a moment, picking her brain for a song.  She flashes Beca a smirk, then begins to sing.  _“I’m bullet proof...nothing to lose...fire away, fire away...”_   She steals another glance at the tiny brunette, who is shooting her one of her infamous glares.  

A finger hits the intercom again.  “Seriously?”

“It’s a good song, Becs!” Chloe giggles.  “You know it’s true.”

“Careful, Beale,” Beca warns and motions to the soundboard in front of her.  “I have the power to make you sound like you smoke three packs a day.”

“You wouldn’t do that to me,” Chloe says with a smile.  She nods towards the mic.  “Do you want me to keep singing?”

“No, you’re good.”  Beca slips a switch on the soundboard.  “Okay, let’s run through it.  This is just going to be a practice.  You remember when to come in?”  Chloe nods.  “Take a deep breath, dude.”

That’s when Chloe realizes her heart has been pounding.  It must be obvious how nervous she is.  She inhales and exhales, then nods to Beca.

“In the wise words of Fat Amy, let’s smash this,” Beca says, then presses another button on the soundboard, starting the music.

 

* * *

 

Chloe chugs a water bottle after her final take of the demo as Beca saves it on the computer.

“That was definitely better than going to the Hollywood sign,” she finally says, plopping into her swivel chair.

“Yeah, dealing with music definitely beats dealing with tourists.  Or just people in general.”

“Except me,” Chloe playfully sings and smiles with all of her teeth.

Beca looks up at her, and to her surprise, she flashes her a warm smile.  “Yeah.  Except you.”  She must realize that she’s getting too mushy, because she drops her gaze to her phone to check the time.  “Alright, we still have some time left in the day.  Is there anywhere else you want to go before it gets dark?”

Chloe thinks for a moment and a smile creeps onto her face.  “The pier.”

 

* * *

 

“Come on!” Chloe calls as she pulls Beca along.

“Chlo, where are you taking me?” the tiny brunette asks, trying to keep up.

“You’ll see.”  She drags Beca past the rides and continues down the pier.  She finds a spot without a crowd of people and pulls Beca to the railing.

Beca scans her surroundings, confused.  “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Just wait for it,” Chloe says with a smile.  She leans against the railing and looks out at the ocean.  “Today was amazing.”

“Yeah, it was fun.”

“Thanks for letting me sing.  I haven’t done anything like that in awhile.”

“Better than singing the ABC’s for a bunch of five year olds, huh?”

“Just a little,” Chloe giggles.  “Don’t get me wrong, I love being a teacher, but it’s nice to, like, get out for a change.  Do something crazy.”

“Wait.  You mean to tell me you don’t sing for professional demos at home on a regular basis?  What kind of life are you living over there in Florida?”

Chloe rolls her eyes.  “You know what I mean.”

“So, what, you don’t do spontaneous adventurous shit anymore?  Are those pun stickers turning you into a total square?”

“No, it’s just...I have to be such an adult in Florida.  Life has kind of just turned into a big routine, ya know?  I go to school and grade papers on weekdays, and then on the weekends Matt and I just hang out, go to the beach or hiking or something, maybe dinner...and it just repeats.  Over and over.”

“You’re feeling suffocated by adulthood,” Beca concludes.

“Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”  She takes a breath, then continues.  “I know that it all just comes with growing up, but sometimes I miss living at Barden with the Bellas.  When we could just do whatever the hell we wanted as long as it didn’t mess with rehearsals.  We were on top of the world.”

“We were,” Beca agrees with a reminiscent smile, then taps her fingers on the railing for a moment as she decides what to say.  “Ya know, if there’s one thing you taught me, it’s that life is never boring.  There is always an opportunity to have an adventure, you just gotta look for it.  I know that my adventure is my job.  I’m sure you’ll find yours soon.”

Chloe's mouth drops open in amusement.  “Beca Mitchell!  Are you saying I made you...optimistic?” she asks excitedly.

“What?  No...”

“I hate to break it to you, hun, but what you just said is _dripping_ with positivity.”

“Shut up.  The world sucks and I hate everything,” Beca grumbles, directing her gaze to her feet out of embarrassment.

“Hey, Becs?” Chloe calls with a smile.

“Hm?”

Chloe gently touches her chin and guides it upwards towards the sky.  “Look.” 

Beca looks up to see that it has turned a mixture of orange and pink.  Her eyes widen at the sight of the LA sunset over the ocean.  

“Still think everything sucks?” Chloe asks smugly.

“I guess this is tolerable,” Beca replies after a moment, clearly not wanting to accept total defeat.  

Chloe steals a glance at her, and suddenly, she can’t seem to take her eyes off of the tiny brunette.  It sounds really cheesy, but she can’t help but notice how truly beautiful Beca looks under the glow of the sunset.  It’s actually kind of suffocating, and she has to direct all of her concentration towards trying not to blush.

At this very moment, Chloe doesn’t want to go back to Florida.  She wants to stay in LA and go on crazy adventures with Beca and watch her smile at the sunset, just like this.

It’s like the tiny brunette reads her mind, because Beca brings her eyes to the ocean below them.  “It really sucks that you have to leave tomorrow.”  

It takes Chloe by surprise.  Not just because it’s kind of random, but also because Beca sounds so sincere when she says it.  She feels her heart flutter in her chest.  This is just about as sappy as Beca gets, and she could not be happier that she is the subject of said sappiness.

“Yeah,” she agrees.  “But who knows?  Maybe I’ll get the job and move here.  Then we can spend every waking moment together outside of work.”  She teasingly nudges Beca’s shoulder.

“Yay,” Beca groans.

“Oh, please!  You know you’d love it.”

“Maybe.”

Chloe smiles.  She’ll take it.

“So...” Beca begins after a moment.  “Celebratory drinks?”

“Totes.”

“Where do you want to go?  You in the mood for a particular type of place?”

“Take me to your favorite bar.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Also, I've never been to LA before, so if anything is inaccurate, please forgive me. Stay tuned for the next one!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, here's the next one. I switch points of view midway, so watch out for that. Also, apparently it's Bechloe week or something? So I guess I should wish you all a happy Bechloe week!

At first, all Chloe sees is blue - just a giant blue light from down the street.  It’s not until Beca pulls into the parking lot that the blue light takes the shape of a building.  This, accompanied by the faint sound of EDM music playing, is Club Cobalt.

“So this is your go-to place?” Chloe asks after getting out of the car.

“Yeah,” Beca answers and slams her door shut.  They begin walking towards the entrance.  “It’s pretty unique, actually.  It’s like a mixture between a bar and a laid-back club, and it kinda has a restaurant-like feel to it.  See?  They even have a patio with tables over there where you can hang out away from the noise.”

They near the line, and to Chloe’s surprise, Beca walks right past it and up to the huge bouncer guarding the door.  Still keeping his stone cold expression, he steps to the side and motions for Beca to go though with a polite nod.

“Thanks, Darryl,” Beca says with a wave, then motions for Chloe to walk in first.

“Did that really just happen?” Chloe asks over the building music as they enter.  “I mean, like, I know you’re a big deal, but I didn’t know you were _that_ big.”

Beca laughs.  “I’m not.  I used to DJ here when I first moved into the area.  Still do occasionally.  So I get perks.”

Chloe follows Beca further into the club as the tiny brunette weaves through crowds of people.  There’s a giant dance floor, some tables and balconies, a stage, and few glowing blue bars scattered around the space.  It’s simple, yet tasteful.  Chloe can see why Beca likes it.

They arrive at one of the bars.  Once they sit down, they are instantly approached by a tattooed bartender not much older than them.  He greats them with a smile.

“My favorite DJ!  It’s been awhile.”  He holds out his fist for Beca to bump.

“I know,” Beca says, returning the fist bump.  “Work has been crazy this week.”

He gives Chloe a once-over.  “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Chloe, my friend from college.  Chloe this is Benny.”

Chloe politely extends her hand.  “Nice to meet you.”

“Wait–”  Benny’s eyes excitedly dart to Beca as he shakes her hand.  “As in Fourth Shot Chloe?”

“I’m sorry?” Chloe asks, confused.

“Ignore him,” Beca tells her after shooting Benny a glare.

“Fourth shot Chloe?” she asks Beca, amused.  She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.  “Care to explain?”

“When Beca first started coming here, she would always mention you after her fourth shot kicked in.  Literally every time like clockwork,” Benny elaborates.

“Benny!” Beca hisses, embarrassed.

“Aw Becs,” Chloe squeals, then squeezes her cheeks, “that’s adorable!”

“Yeah, whatever.  Tell the man what you want to drink.”  

Deciding to give Beca a break with the teasing, she orders a margarita and the tiny brunette just gets a beer.  Benny quickly places the drinks on the counter.

“Thanks, man,” Beca says as she takes her own drink and hands the margarita to Chloe.  She nods towards the door.  “Let’s sit outside, Chlo.”

“Wait!  Beca!” Benny calls as he pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.  “That girl you were with last week.  Sienna?  She came back the night after and left her number for you.”  He hands her the paper with a wink.  “Looks like she wants you to take her home next time.”

Chloe nearly drops her drink.  Sienna?  As in a _female_?  Wants Beca to take her home?  _This_ time?  What happened _last_ time?  Her head is spinning, and it’s certainly not from the one sip of alcohol she just had.

“Uh, thanks,” Beca mumbles as she takes the piece of paper and shoves it into her pocket a little too quickly.  “Let’s go, Chlo.”

Too stunned to even speak, Chloe manages to follow Beca outside onto the patio, where it is much quieter.  Although, she’s starting to think being in the loud club might be the better option.  She’s not sure she wants to be able to hear herself think right now.

She watches Beca take a sip of her drink and notes that her eyes never leave the ground.  

“It’s, uh, it’s nice out tonight,” Beca tries.  

 _It’s nice out tonight?_ When has Beca ever said that in her life?  That’s what boring people do when they are struggling to make conversation.  Chloe takes this - as well as the way Beca is refusing to look at her - as a sign that the tiny brunette is really uncomfortable and doesn’t want to talk about it.

“Yeah, it is,” Chloe replies, trying to help her out.  She watches Beca take another sip of her drink, creating an awkward silence.

So this isn’t really helping.  After nine years of experience, Chloe has learned to just address the issue right away.  The tiny brunette is way too shy to bring it up, and Chloe knows she’ll just act weird for the rest of the weekend if she doesn’t rip the bandage off.  She takes a breath before speaking.

“You like women, huh?”  She tries to keep her tone casual, hoping to insinuate that it’s not a big deal.  Because it really isn’t a big deal.  Well, it kind of is, but not for the reasons Beca would think.

“Uh...kinda,” Beca answers, shyly.  “I like guys, too.”

“So...you’re bi?” Chloe asks.

“Yeah, I guess...”

Chloe notes that the whole time, Beca’s eyes are still on the ground and she is tapping her fingers on the table.  She must be really nervous.  Chloe puts her hand on top of Beca’s, forcing her fingers to sit still.

“You don’t have to be all shy about this around me.  I like both, too.”  

Beca’s eyes shoot up to meet hers.  “Wait, _you’ve_ been with women?  Like more than the occasional drunken kiss at a Bella party?” she asks in surprise.

“Sure.  Not so much at Barden, especially in my later years.  But when I was home in Florida for breaks and stuff?  Yeah, totes.  Nothing serious back then, but I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to having a girlfriend or anything.”

Beca takes a moment to let it sink in, and Chloe notices her posture become less stiff.  “Wow.  I always thought you were just a huge flirt.”

“Well, yeah, I am.  I’m just a huge flirt who also happens to be bisexual.”

 Beca chuckles, then takes a sip of her beer.  “Guess you learn something new everyday, huh?”

“Yeah,” Chloe agrees, still stunned by this new information.  She takes a sip of her drink as it all starts to process in her brain.  “Hey, Becs?”

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Beca shrugs, suddenly shy again.  “I don’t know...I didn’t realize until after I moved here.  There was never a good time, I guess.  And we kinda stopped talking...”

Chloe feels her stomach tie into knots.  _Because they stopped talking_.  Because they stopped talking, Beca felt awkward telling Chloe about this huge part of her life.  Chloe’s heart breaks at the thought of Beca freaking out when she started to realize she liked girls and having to deal with that on her own.  Did she even have anyone besides Jesse to talk to about it?  Probably.  She has to have some other friends, right?  But either way, she should have had a female best friend to tell.  Chloe should have been there for her.

“Besides, could you imagine all of the shit the Bellas would give us if they found out we actually could be aca-lesbian lovers?” Beca adds.

Chloe feels the knots untie.  Beca’s using humor, and not in the way she does when she’s uncomfortable.  She’s okay with this whole thing.  

“That’s actually a really good point,” Chloe realizes.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Beca asks, visibly cringing in fear of her best friend’s response.

“Bec, of course not!  It’s your sexuality, and it’s your decision to tell whoever you want whenever you want.  And you know I’ll love you no matter what.”

Chloe sees Beca’s entire body relax.

“Thanks, Chlo.”

Content with the fact that she’s gotten rid of the elephant in the room, Chloe takes another sip of her margarita.  It’s time to have some fun.  “Now can we please talk about how you are apparently a total stud?”

“I’m not a stud,” Beca mumbles, waving her away.

“This girl literally came back to the bar to give Benny her number for you.”

“So?” the tiny brunette asks, clearly not understanding what a big deal that is.

“So, she wants you.  Pretty badly from what it sounds like.”

“I have no idea why.”

“Why are you always so modest?” Chloe groans.  “Seriously, Becs.  You’re more charming than you give yourself credit for.”  

Beca rolls her eyes, clearly not wanting to be flattered right now.

Chloe decides to let it go.  “You gonna call her?”

“Who?  Sienna?  I dunno.  It’s already been over a week and work is about to get even crazier...”

“I think you should.”  Chloe cringes on the inside, hating that those words came out of her own mouth.  Why does she always have to take the damn high road?  “You deserve to be happy.”

“The thing is, I don’t really need a girl or a guy to make me happy,” Beca explains.

“I know that.  I’m just saying sometimes it’s nice to have somebody around that always makes you smile.”

“Chlo, really.  I’m fine with how things are going.  At this moment, sitting here at Cobalt with you and my drink, life is good.”

Chloe decides to let it go.  Even though she is over Beca and totes in love with Matt, it feels weird pushing the tiny brunette into another woman’s arms.  So, she changes the subject.  Time to get details.

“So what’s your type?”

Beca puts her head in her hands. “Oh my god, what did I get myself into?” she groans.

 

* * *

 

Chloe stares at herself in the bathroom mirror after taking her makeup off for the night.

“Fuck.”

She wishes she had had more drinks.  She wishes she was drunk right now.  At least then, her brain would be too clouded to think about everything.  Alas, her brain is fully functional and is currently whizzing with all kinds of thoughts.  Now that she and Beca have settled in for the night and she finally has a quiet moment to herself, it's really starting to hit her.

_Beca is into women._

Chloe didn’t get much information out of her at the club and there are so many questions she wants to ask her.  How did she realize she liked girls?  How many girls has she been with?  And seriously, what _is_ her type?  But she decides to keep her mouth shut.  She knows it’s a bad idea.  It will just make her obsess over it even more.  Not like she has a reason to obsess over it to begin with.  Because Chloe is totes over her.

She’s happy about the whole thing.  Really.  She and Beca have even more in common than she thought.

But at the same time, she’s...frustrated?  

Yes, definitely frustrated.  With herself.  With her Barden self.  If she hadn’t been so careful, if she had just taken a chance and made a move, Beca could have realized back then, and they could be living happily ever after right now.  She knows that’s not completely true – it doesn’t really work that way – but if it _had_ worked that way, Beca would be in this bathroom with her right now as they get ready for bed side by side like an old married couple.

“Fuuuck,” she whispers again and squirts some face wash into her hand.

None of this matters.  Her yearning for Beca is all from the past.  _Chloe is totes over her._

She finishes washing her face and brushing her teeth and settles into her bed.

She just lays there, staring into the darkness, trying to unwind.  Except she can’t.  There are so many thoughts going through her head and she’s feeling so many emotions that she thinks she’s going to explode.  She just wants her brain to shut up.

But one thought in particular is screaming over all of the oner ones: she just wants to be close to Beca right now.  She wants that sudden calmness, that comfort she gets when the tiny brunette is close by.  Besides, she’s leaving tomorrow.  This is the last night they actually _can_ be close.

“Screw it,” she mumbles, throwing her covers off and allowing her feet to carry her to Beca’s room.

The door is open a few inches, and even though the lights are off, Chloe can see Beca sitting up, leaning against the headboard with her laptop on her thighs.  Not even bothering to knock, she enters with a “Hey.”

Beca looks up from her screen.  “Hey.  You okay?”

“Yeah.”  Chloe moves to the other side of the bed and proceeds to crawl under the blanket.

As she does this, Beca closes her laptop and places it on her nightstand, then scoots further under the blanket to lay down.  “What’s your excuse this time?”

“Separation anxiety,” Chloe answers as she snuggles close to Beca and puts an arm around her middle.

Beca actually laughs, and it makes Chloe’s heart flutter.  It’s very rarely that Beca laughs – like, genuinely laughs – so each time it happens, it’s special.  

“Separation anxiety?  Seriously?”

“We only have a few hours left together.  I want to spend as much time with you as I can before we go back to living on opposite sides of the country.”

“I guess that’s fair.”

They just lay there for a moment, a heavy silence filling the room.  It’s really starting to hit Chloe that she’s leaving tomorrow.  More importantly, that she’s leaving Beca.  Sure, she just left Beca a week ago at the lodge, but they parted ways knowing they’d see each other in a few days.  This time is different.  Neither one of them knows when they’ll see each other again.  It could be months, especially once the school year starts.  And that thought scares the shit out of Chloe.

“Becs, can we Facetime?” she asks.

“I’m literally right next to you.”

“I mean next week once I’m home.”

Beca looks down at her – well, the best she can considering their position – knowing how serious Chloe is.  “Yeah, we can do that.  The weekend is probably better, though.  There’s a chance they’ll keep me late on weekdays.”

“Sunday?  They definitely won’t pull you into the studio on a Sunday.  We’ll do the afternoon, so you can sleep in.”

“Deal.”

“Promise?” Chloe asks and removes her arm from around Beca’s middle to hold up her pinky.

“Promise,” Beca answers, interlocking their pinkies.

With a content hum, Chloe resettles against Beca, and they return to a less-heavy silence.  Until Chloe breaks it one last time.

“I’m gonna miss you, Becs.”  To her surprise, Beca comfortingly brushes her hand up and down Chloe’s arm that hugs her middle, giving her chills.

“I’m gonna miss you too, weirdo.”

Chloe takes a deep breath and tries not to think about it anymore.  She just wants to enjoy what time they have left together.  She lets the soothing motion of Beca’s hand moving up and down her arm calm her down, and she drifts off to sleep.

 

* * *

_“Beca.”_

Beca is slowly pulled out of her sleep by a gentle voice and she feels a hand stroke her arm.

“Beca.”

The voice becomes clearer and Beca identifies it’s owner.  Her eyes flutter open to see a red blur and a soft smile.  Chloe is sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.  She has clearly been awake for awhile.  Seriously, how does she do that?

“Hm?”

“It’s time to get up.”

With a groan, Beca rolls over onto her stomach and pulls the blanket over her head.  Maybe if she ignores Chloe, she’ll let her fall back to sleep.

Chloe giggles and pulls the blanket off of Beca’s head.  “Come on, sleepyhead.  I made pancakes.”

Or maybe not.

“I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute,” Beca grunts.

“Nope.  I’m not falling for that.”  

When Beca feels Chloe try to pull the blanket the rest of the way off, she tightens her grip on it.  She is not about to get thrown out of bed.

“Come on, Becs.  Don’t make me tickle you.”

Beca opens an eye at the threat, and one look at Chloe tells her that the redhead is serious.  With an annoyed sigh, she throws the blanket off of herself and rises from the bed.  “Those pancakes better be colorful,” she mumbles, heading for the door.

“Of course they’re colorful!” Chloe assures her.  “Why on earth wouldn’t they be?”

One morning shortly after they moved into the Bella house, Beca had woken up extremely hungover from a wild Treble party the night before.  She had finally rolled out of bed and entered the kitchen to see that Chloe had made her pancakes.  Except they weren’t regular pancakes.  They were blue.

That is the day Beca learned that Chloe always colors her pancakes because “they taste so much better that way, Becs!”  She doesn’t even know why she was surprised by it at the time.  It’s such a Chloe thing to do - doing something as simple as adding food dye to the batter to make eating a little more fun.

Beca quickly came to expect the colorful pancakes whenever Chloe was the one making them, and if she’s being honest, regular-colored pancakes have never tasted the same since.

She collapses into her chair with her coffee in her hand as Chloe pushes the plate of pancakes over to her.  Today, they’re purple.

“Dude, you keep feeding me,” Beca points out as she plops a couple onto her plate, then pushes it back to Chloe.

“Well, I had to make sure you were fed one last time.  Who knows how long it’s gonna be before you have real food again?”  Chloe takes the plate and serves herself.

“I am perfectly capable of cooking real food.  I just choose not to.”

“Yes, because living on mac and cheese and Lucky Charms is so fulfilling?” Chloe asks with a smirk.

“Hey,” Beca warns, pointing her fork at Chloe, “don’t hate on Lucky Charms.  That shit is great.”

“‘That shit’ is all sugar,” Chloe retorts.

“No!  The cereal part has, like, fiber or something.”

Chloe laughs.  “You should stick to producing music, hun.”

“Fuck you.”

“Please do,” Chloe says seductively, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh my god,” Beca groans and puts her head in her hands.

She may act all annoyed, but she’s actually happy to see that Chloe is being her normal, playful self.  She had been a little nervous that their conversation at the club would make everything a little awkward, but here Chloe is, shamelessly flirting with her like she always has.

Beca, on the other hand, is still trying to wrap her head around everything.

 _Chloe’s into chicks_.

Even though she probably shouldn’t be, Beca is a little surprised by the whole thing.  Because she really _had_ always thought Chloe was just a huge flirt.  One who particularly flirted with her because she liked to see Beca squirm.  Which is probably true.  Because why would Chloe actually flirt with her for real?  She’s just a short, grumpy, socially awkward dork.  Chloe can do way better.

“Becs.”

“Hm?”  She snaps back into reality to see Chloe staring at her in concern.

“You kinda zoned out.  You okay?”

“Yeah,” Beca answers, then takes a sip from her coffee mug.  “Just tired.  You see, this  _bitch_ woke me up before noon on a Sunday...”

Chloe gasps.  “Excuse you.  You’re the one who insisted on driving that 'bitch' to the airport, Grumpypants.”

“That bitch is lucky she's worth it,” Beca grumbles and shoves another bite of pancakes into her mouth.

Chloe drops her fork and grins like the Cheshire Cat.  “I’m sorry, was that a _compliment_?  Before you’ve been properly caffeinated?”

Beca keeps her eyes on her purple pancakes.  “Shut up.”

“Write this day down!  Beca Mitchell is capable of showing affection before noon!”

“I fucking hate mornings,” Beca mumbles.

 

* * *

 

Once Chloe finally decides to stop teasing Beca, they get dressed, finish packing Chloe’s things, and head to the airport.  Other than the occasional discussion about the songs that come on the radio, the car ride is pretty quiet.  It’s really hitting them that their time together is coming to an end.

Beca does not neglect to notice Chloe smiling to herself when she realizes Beca is heading to the parking lot rather than the drop off.  She knows Chloe tends to get emotional when it comes to goodbyes, and she doesn’t feel right just dropping her off at the front of the airport.

After taking what Beca claims is “like, five years” to find a spot and grabbing Chloe's suitcase from the trunk, they head for the airport entrance.

“Excuse me?” a voice asks as they near the door.

Beca turns to see a middle aged woman in thick-rimmed glasses, a flannel, and a beanie hold out her phone.  “Would you mind taking a picture of us?”

Beca then notices another woman - this one in a black tank top and covered in tattoos - behind her.

“Sure,” she answers uncomfortably and takes the phone.  She waits for the women to get settled in front of the random airport sign and pose, then takes the picture.

“Thanks!” the woman in the flannel says and takes back her phone to examine Beca’s work.

“It’s our first time in LA,” the tattooed woman explains.  “We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary.”

“Aw, congratulations!” Chloe squeals.

“Love it,” the woman in the flannel says via the picture, and slips her phone into her pocket.  

“Thanks again,” the tattooed woman says with a smile and takes her wife’s hand.  “You two make an adorable couple, by the way.”

“Oh,” Chloe says, startled.

“Um, we’re - We’re not a –” Beca tries, but the women are already gone.  “Okayyy.”

“I guess we really do look like aca-lesbian lovers,” Chloe giggles.

“Guess so.”  Beca nods toward the door.  “Come on.  I’ve had enough tourist interaction for one day.”

They walk into the airport and scan the area for signage.  Shockingly, Beca spots it first and points at the sign with the arrow.  “Baggage check.”

As they head in that direction, they practically have to jump out of the way of a woman in a suit plowing through the airport with her large suitcase.  “Yeah, I know I’m a little late,” she says into her phone.  “We hit a storm over Arizona.  Fucking monsoon season.”

Beca’s eyes instantly move to Chloe, who visibly tenses.  

“Perfect,” Chloe mumbles.

Beca's stomach twists into knots.  Crap.  Chloe is gonna freak out again.  And this time, Beca can't make sure she's okay when she lands.

She takes Chloe's hand as they continue walking – because she actually can this time.  “I’m sure it’s fine.  It will probably be over by the time you reach Arizona.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agrees, trying to believe it.

She only lets go of Beca’s hand to check her baggage in, and once she hands her suitcase to the attendant, she intertwines their fingers again.

Beca doesn't mind it.

They follow the signs to security.

“Here we are,” Beca announces awkwardly.  “Time to get felt up by an entitled old dude.”  She surveys the security line for a moment, then adds, “Although I bet you of all people would be able to smile yourself out of a body search.  Damn, think of how much shit you’d be able to smuggle onto a plane.”

She expects a witty response in return, or at least a giggle, and to her surprise, she gets neither.  She turns to see a glossy-eyed Chloe looking at the security line, clearly trying with everything she has to keep it together.

“Don’t you dare start crying on me, Beale,” Beca jokes, hoping to make her smile.  “You know how well I do with tears.”

“I’m fine,” Chloe assures her, waving her away.  

Beca feels her insides churn and she starts to panic when she sees that Chloe’s cheeks are wet.

“Oh, no.  No, no, no.  Don’t cry.”  She brings her hands to Chloe’s face to wipe away her tears.  “I promise you’ll make it home okay.”

“I’m gonna miss you.”

Shit.  Way to pull on the heartstrings, Chlo. 

Shockingly, Beca feels her own eyes start to water.  Yeah, she really doesn’t want Chloe to go.  She wants Chloe to stay with her in LA and keep showing her the non-sucky parts of life.  She wants her best friend to always be there to remind her that she is Beca Effin’ Mitchell and that she’s gonna be aca-awesome.  And she wants to see the redhead’s smile while she does it.

She blinks back the tears before they can fall.  If Chloe sees her cry, that’ll be the end of it.  She’ll never get on that stupid plane.

“One week,” Beca reminds her best friend.  She then puts on a smirk and seductively puts her hand on her own butt.  “You’ll get to see this hot piece of ass in exactly one week.  Well, and a few hours, because there is no way I’m getting up this early.”

Chloe laughs and the tears stop.  “I’m looking forward to it.”

“You better be.”  Beca then sees a few more people walk past them and get on the security line.  She nods towards it.  “You should probably go through now.”

Chloe sighs.  “Probably.”

“Text me when you land, okay?”

Chloe nods, then launches herself into Beca for a hug.  Chloe squeezes her tight, and Beca squeezes back, enjoying the familiar lavender scent.  And she keeps her arms around her best friend, knowing Chloe needs this before she gets onto that plane.  It’s not until she feels Chloe move under her that she lets go.

She sees another tear fall and her hand instinctively wipes it away.

She opens her mouth to say goodbye, but quickly closes it.  No.  Goodbye sounds depressing.  Goodbye is what they said when Beca moved across the country.  Goodbye is what they said the last time she visited Chloe in Florida.  Goodbye is what they said the last time they had Skyped over two years ago before they lost touch.  

No.  Not goodbye.

“Sunday,” is all Beca says, and she knows it’s the right thing by the way Chloe’s eyes brighten.

“Sunday,” Chloe repeats.

Beca doesn’t realize they had gone back to holding hands until Chloe releases it as she backs away.  After taking a step or two backwards, she turns away and heads toward the security line.  Beca guesses she just wants to rip the bandage off.  But then Chloe turns around to take one last glance at her, and Beca kind of wishes she _had_ just ripped the bandage off.  

She puts her hand up to give Chloe an awkward wave, and the redhead blows her a kiss before turning around and entering the security queue.

Once she sees Chloe is set, she brings herself to turn around and head to her car.

 

* * *

 

The ride home sucks, to say the least.  Beca has lost track of the amount of times she has honked her horn and she just barely avoided two accidents.  

It suddenly feels like it’s gotten ten times hotter outside, and all Beca wants to do is go inside to her beloved air conditioning.  But of course, her key decides to stop working again and it takes her a whole five minutes to get into her house.

Yup.  Now that Chloe is gone, everything is starting to suck again.  Damn, why didn’t that school offer her the job on the spot?

But Beca can’t focus on that right now.  She has to get her shit and then head to the studio.  She has to finalize that demo.

She heads to the kitchen to grab a quick drink before she leaves.  After chugging a glass of water, she throws the cup into the sink, then prepares to head out.

She knows she’s forgetting something.

She has her bag, her phone...Wait, is she wearing a bra?  She brings her free hand to her boobs.  Yup, she’s wearing a bra...Then what’s she missing?  Oh!  Keys!

As she heads to the counter where she had absentmindedly tossed them, something on her fridge catches her eye.  She moves closer to see that it’s Sienna’s number.  Chloe must have found it lazily thrown on the counter and hung it there.  

Beca plucks it off of the fridge.  Right.  She’s supposed to call this chick.  Should she?

Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she checks it to see a new text from Chloe.

_Boarding!  You better be right about the storm clearing up, otherwise I’m gonna walk all the way back to LA just to kick your ass :P_

Beca laughs.  She can practically hear Chloe using her captain voice to threaten her.

**If your flight back is as terrible as your flight here, I give you full permission to kick my ass.**

_Hey Becs?_

**Hm?**

_I miss you!_

Beca feels herself smile.  Chloe used to tell her that all the time.  Why is it making her insides all fuzzy now?

She brings herself to type out a snarky reply.

**Well, duh!  How could you not?  I’m pretty great.**

_Becaaaaaaaa_

**I miss you, too, Chlo.  Have a good flight :)**

She slips her phone back into her pocket and redirects her attention to the piece of paper in her hand.  After staring at it for another few seconds, she feels her fist begin to clench, crinkling it into a ball.  She tosses it into the garbage, grabs her bag, and heads to her studio.  She has a demo to finish.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnddd the Bechloe ball is rolling, people! Are you as pumped as I am???


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter is kind of just a transition, so I'm sorry if it's a little slow.

To Chloe’s luck, the plane ride back is smooth sailing all the way through.  Matt picks her at the airport, and she is happy to be back in her amazing boyfriend’s arms.  She hadn't realized how much she had missed him.

After that, Chloe’s life returns to normal.  She wakes up, goes to school, gets home, eats dinner, grades papers, then it is time for bed.  Yup, that’s the routine.

Chloe doesn't really mind, at least at first.  She had missed her class and she had missed being around Matt.

But she also finds herself missing Beca.  She misses goofing around with her.  Misses jokingly flirting with her.  Misses going on crazy adventures with her. They've only been away from each other for two days, and Chloe already has to fight the urge to buy another plane ticket to LA.

It’s only Tuesday.  That’s five more days until their Facetime date.  Ugh, why is that so far away?

After brushing her teeth, she hops into bed and cuddles into Matt, who is propped against the headboard, reading over a lesson plan.  She opts to pull out a book - she’s nowhere near the mood to look at anymore lesson plans today.

This had become a routine of theirs over the past year.  They settle into bed, each reading or finishing up some last minute work, making casual conversation throughout.  It’s kind of like their wind down for the day, and Chloe always looks forward to it, especially the cuddling aspect.

“So you know Maya?” she starts.  “The one I always tell you about?”

Matt brings his eyes from the lesson plan to Chloe.  “The one who refuses to nap?”

“Yeah, her.  I finally did the impossible today.”

Matt drops the lesson plan on his lap and gasps fake-dramatically.  “No way!”

Chloe gives a proud smile.  “Yes way!  Turns out, all I have to do is sing to her.”

“Seriously?  So, what, you just laid her down, sang her a few songs and she fell asleep?”

“Yup.  She was out like a light.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to try that earlier.”

Matt looks down at her with a warm smile.  “You’re amazing, babe.”

“I know,” she brags, only to get a kiss in return.  She kisses him back, but it is interrupted when her phone vibrates on the nightstand.  Chloe pulls away, eyebrows raised in confusion.  Who the hell is calling her this late?

“Nooo,” Matt whines and playfully tugs at her as she peels herself off of him in pursuit of her phone.

Her lips curl into a smile when she sees who is calling her.  “It’s Beca.”  She presses the green answer button.  “Becs?”

_“Hey.  I’m sorry, did I wake you up?  I know teachers go to bed, like, disgustingly early.”_

Chloe smiles.  Beca may put on an “I don’t care” facade, but deep down, she’s extremely considerate.  “No, I’m awake.”

She hears Beca sigh in relief.  _“Good.  Sorry for calling so late.  I literally just got out of the studio and I couldn’t wait to tell you.”_

“Tell me what?”

_“I played the demo today.”_

“How’d it go?”

Beca pauses for dramatics.  _“Stevie liked it.”_   Chloe can hear the tiny brunette smile as she says it.

Bursting with excitement, she jumps up from the bed.  “Oh-em-aca-gee yes!” she squeals.  She sees Matt plug one of his ears in reaction to her high pitch.  So much for never singing above a G sharp ever again.  “I told you he would!  Wait, what exactly did he say?”

_“He said he liked the sound...of course he still wants to make a few changes because he can’t go five minutes without being a total dick, but they’re all manageable.”_

“That’s amazing, Becs!”  Chloe's smile is so wide that it’s making her cheeks hurt.  “Hey, when you meet Sia, can you tell her that I _love_ Titanium?”

_“Oh my god, stop!  You’re gross!”_

Chloe giggles as she sits back on the bed.  “Say it,” she hums.

 _“Say what?”_  

“You know what.”

She can almost hear Beca roll her eyes.  _“You were right, Chlo.”_

“I know,” Chloe brags.

 _“Shut up,”_ the tiny brunette grumbles.  There is a short silence on her end while Chloe giggles again, but it is quickly broken by an excited. _“Oh!  I almost forgot to tell you.  Not only did my boss like the demo, he really likes your voice.”_

“Seriously?”

_“Yeah.  He asked who you were, and then he was like, ‘Why the fuck is she a kindergarten teacher?’”_

Chloe laughs.  “Well, my self esteem just got ten times larger.”

Beca scoffs.  _“Yeah, like that’s even possible.”_

“Shut up!"

_“You know what?  I think I will because it’s kind of late.  I just wanted to tell you the good news.  And...thank you for everything you did this weekend.  I couldn’t have done it without you.  I’m really glad you came to visit.”_

Chloe feels herself blush.  She ignores Matt’s raised eyebrows.  “It was my pleasure.”  She takes a breath.  “I’m so proud of you, Beca.”

There is a moment of silence, which she assumes Beca uses to blush.  _“Alright, this is getting too mushy.  I’m gonna bounce.”_

“Party pooper.  Sleep well.”

_“Goodnight, Chloe.”_

The other line goes dead.  Still smiling, Chloe returns her phone to its home on her nightstand.  She turns to see Matt watching her, his eyebrows still raised.

“What?” she asks, suddenly self-conscious.  She had almost forgotten he was there for the whole conversation.

“Aubrey was right.”

She feels her heart begin to pound.  When he first met Aubrey, the blonde had joked about Beca being her aca-wife a few times.  She didn't say anything else to him behind her back, did she?  “About?” 

“You two are really chummy.”

Chloe feels her body relax and she puts on a smile.  “She’s one of my best friends.  And we lived together for three years.”  She scoots closer to Matt with a smirk.  “Maybe we’ll be that chummy once we’ve lived together for three years.”

Matt kisses her nose.  “I have a feeling we will be.”

  

* * *

 

After her last few students finally leave for the buses, Chloe plops into her desk chair with a huff, happy to have a moment to breathe.  She loves her students, but they can be pretty exhausting.  She can't believe it's only been a little over a week since she got back from LA.

She takes her phone out of her purse and unlocks it to find a voicemail from an unknown caller waiting for her.  Raising an eyebrow, she holds the phone up to her ear to listen to the message.

_“Hi, Ms. Beale.  This is Cheryl, the secretary from the Allegro School of Performing Arts.  We have reviewed all of the applicants, and we would like to offer you a teaching position at our school starting in September.  We ask that you get back to us within the next week -”_

She doesn’t even hear the rest of the message.  Her brain is too busy whizzing with excitement and she has to use all of her effort not to jump out of her seat.

Holy shit!  She got the job!  She took a chance and landed her dream job!  Maybe she really _is_ Chloe Freakin’ Beale!

Before she even realizes it, her fingers are already pulling up Beca’s contact.  Her leg begins to shake as she hears the all-too-familiar sound of Facetime connecting.  Beca’s face appears on her screen.  

“Hi!” Chloe squeals.

 _“Hey,”_ Beca greets.  _“You’re calling me at work.”_

That’s when Chloe realizes there is some sound equipment and a giant computer screen in the background.  Beca's headphones sit around her neck.  “Oh, shit!  I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about what time it was.”

 _“It’s fine,”_ Beca assures her.  _“I’m on a lunch break.  I’m just making some adjustments to the demo.  What’s up?”_

Chloe remembers why she called Beca and she smiles wide enough that Beca can see her teeth.

 _“What?”_ Beca asks with caution.  Chloe holds the smile.  _“Chlo?”_

“I got the job!”

Chloe sees Beca sit up straighter.

_“Seriously?”_

Chloe nods. 

Wearing a huge smile, Beca excitedly slams her hand onto the desk in front of her.   _“Fuck yeah!  I knew you would!  You’re going to accept, right?”_

“I really want to.”

 _“Oh my god, this is freakin’ awesome!”_   Beca sits back in her chair, taking it all in.  _“Dude, you’re going to move to LA!  I’ve already decided you’re living with me, by the way.”_

“Well, duh!” Chloe giggles.  Her phone suddenly vibrates and the texting notification temporarily pops up above Beca’s head.  _Babe <3.  _Chloe’s face falls.

 _“What’s wrong?”_ Beca asks.

“I have to talk to Matt about it first."

_“You didn’t tell him you got it?”_

“No.  I literally just got the message.”

 _“You told me before you told him?_   _Taking that Bellas before fellas rule seriously, I see.”_

“Always.”  Chloe releases a stressful sigh.  “Fuck, I don’t know what to do.  What do I say to him?”

_“Didn’t you two talk about this before you applied?”_

“Well, yeah, but it wasn’t serious back then.  I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until I interviewed.”

It's true.  One of her colleagues had suggested the Allegro School when Chloe had mentioned she was applying to a bunch of music-based schools.  She figured she might as well apply, especially once she found out that it was geared towards underprivileged kids, but she hadn't even expected to be called in for an interview, let alone land the job altogether.

_“And what did he say when you first mentioned the idea?”_

“He was his typical sweet self and told me he’d be a total ass for keeping me from taking such an awesome opportunity.  But I know he was secretly hoping I’d stay.  He’s just too much of a gentleman to actually tell me to.”

 _"Oh."_  Beca releases a sigh of her own.   _"That's a tough one, dude."_

Chloe thinks the situation over for a moment, finally allowing it all to process.  Shit.  She'd be moving across the _freaking country_.  Into a different time zone.  “I don’t know if I can just up and move across the country.  Just leave him like that.  We just moved in together.”

 _“Chlo, you’ve spent most of your life putting others first.  You’re allowed to do something for yourself every once in awhile,”_ Beca points out.

Chloe feels her teeth sink into her lip and she can tell Beca recognizes the nervous habit.

 _“I guess what I’m saying is don’t pull a Sandy.  Don’t stay in Florida with Matt because he wants you to.  If you’re gonna stay, do it because it’s what_ you _really want.”_

“I want both."  Chloe breathes a laugh.  "Why does everything have to be so difficult?”

_“Look, I don't know Matt and I don't know what your life is like in Florida.  But what I do know is that you spent your time at Barden afraid of your future because you had no idea what you wanted to do with your life.  Then you graduated, and now you’ve finally found something you love doing.  Just...don’t give that all up unless you think it’s worth it, okay?”_

Chloe accepts the answer with a warm smile.  “Okay.”  

She knows she should be extremely stressed out right now, but she feels her entire body relax instead.  Beca is so good at making complicated things seem so simple.  Sure, she’s acknowledging that it’s a hard decision, but unlike most people, she’s not putting any pressure on her to choose.  Even though it sounds like she'd be thrilled to have Chloe living with her, she's not telling her what to do.  She's making her feel like she has all the time in the world, and that no matter what she chooses, she’ll still love her.  Beca really is amazing. 

“Thanks, Beca.”

She hears a knock coming from Beca’s end.  

The tiny brunette turns at the sound.  _“Dammit, Wes!  What is it now?”_

 _“Ricky said he’s coming to check our progress once he wraps up his conference call,”_ he informs Beca, then pointedly adds,  _“So you might want to have those tracks up and ready for him.”_

Beca motions to the monitor in front of her.  _“What do you think this is?”_ she retorts.

Wes stares at the screen for a moment, his slow brain clearly trying to process.  _“Oh.”_

 _“Yeah.  So I’m all good here,”_ Beca tells him, trying to make it clear that she wants him to leave.  Surprisingly, he gets the message and walks out the door without another word.

Beca turns back to her.  _“Sorry about that.”_

“You don’t like him very much, do you?”

Beca gestures to the door.  _“Can you see why?  Dude needs to learn to mind his own fucking business.”_

Chloe giggles.  Classic Beca.

_“I should probably go and finish this up though.  Are you going to be okay?”_

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Chloe assures her.  “Go back to your musical masterpiece.”

Beca smiles.  _“Okay.  Let me know what happens with Matt.  Good luck, nerd.”_

“I will.”  Chloe blows a kiss, and Beca flashes her a peace sign.  Then the screen goes blank.

 

* * *

 

The talk with Matt was hard.  Like, really hard.  He was upset at first - seriously, who wouldn’t be?  They had just gotten used to living together, and now Chloe wanted to leave.  But after talking it through, Matt ultimately told Chloe to make the move.  Teaching music to underprivileged kids has been her dream, and he’s not going to hold her back from it.  They ultimately decided that they would try the long distance thing for now and hope they will find a way to live in the same state in the future.  He handled it like a true gentleman, and Chloe could not love him more for it. 

The next step is breaking the news to Aubrey.  Because Chloe tells Aubrey everything.

She sits on the couch, nervously shaking her leg as she waits for the Facetime call to connect.  The blank screen suddenly shows a face.

“Bree!”

 _“Hey, Chlo!”_ Aubrey greets.

Chloe notices that the blonde has her laptop on her kitchen counter, and she is currently pouring various ingredients into a large bowl.

“Whatcha doing?”

 _“Making muffins for work,”_ Aubrey answers as she pours a cup of brown sugar into the bowl.  _“It keeps my staff motivated.”_

“Why didn’t you have that brilliant idea when you were the Bella captain?”

_“That would have ended badly and you know it.”_

Chloe laughs.  She’s right.  If food had been involved in Bella rehearsals, nothing would have ever gotten done, and to be honest, it probably would have resulted in a few fights. 

Aubrey disappears for a moment and returns with two eggs.  _“So what’s new with you?”_

Chloe bites her lip for a second.  This is it.  “I actually have some news...”

 _“Spill,”_ Aubrey demands as she cracks one of the eggs into the bowl.

“I got the job at that performing arts school!”

_“Oh-em-aca-gee, Chlo, that’s great!  Are you going to accept it?”_

“Yup!  I start in September!”

 _“That’s amazing, Chloe.”_   Aubrey suddenly puts down the second egg as a thought crosses her mind.  _“Wait, this means you’re moving across the country.”_

“Yeah.”  Chloe holds her breath.  Here it comes.

 _“Aw, but now you’ll have to get on a plane if you want to visit me,”_ Aubrey pouts as she cracks the second egg.

“I know,” Chloe whines.  “You’re totes worth it, though.”

 _“I better be.”_  The blonde sprinkles a dash of cinnamon into the bowl.  _“When do you leave?”_

“Not until August.  I’m teaching summer school here, so I have to stay for that.”

Aubrey picks up the spoon and begins mixing the batter.  _“Well, I give you a lot of credit.  Having such a short window of time to move across the country would stress me the fuck out.  I mean, you have to find a place, then get all of your shit over there, then you have to replace all the furniture you left at Matt’s, too...”_

“I don’t think it’s going to be that bad.  I mean, I don’t really have to worry about most of that stuff,” Chloe admits.

_“Wait...Don’t tell me you’re moving in with -”_

“Kinda.”  Chloe cringes, completely dreading her best friend’s reaction.

Aubrey puts down her spoon in shock.  _“For serious?  Chloe, no.  Bad idea.  Very bad idea.”_

“Why is it a bad idea?”

Aubrey threateningly points the batter-covered spoon at the laptop screen.  _“Chloe Beale, don’t play dumb with me.  You know why.”_

“We’ve lived together before, Aubrey.”

 _“Not alone,_ ” Aubrey points out as she begins stirring the batter again out of pure stress.

“True.  I think I can handle it, though.”

_“Mhm, and what happens if you catch feelings again?”_

“I won’t,” Chloe assures her.  Because she actually won’t.  She and Beca are just friends.  And she is totes in love with Matt.

_“But what if you do?”_

“Bree...”

_“Look, Chlo, you’re my best friend and I love you.  Beca is a great woman, but she has proven herself to be bad for you.”_

“She has not,” Chloe argues.  How could somebody who constantly makes her feel like she’s on top of the world be bad for her?

 _“She has,”_ Aubrey continues.  _“Do you not remember what you were like the first year after she moved to LA?  Because I do.  You were a mess.  You beat yourself up when she wouldn’t text you back.  You cried when she would cancel your Skype dates.  You kept asking me why you weren’t good enough for her.  You were absolutely miserable.  Do you really want to go through that again?”_

Chloe suddenly feels her bottom lip between her teeth.  Sure, she may have lost her mind for a little while when she and Beca first began to lose touch.  Yeah, it really hurt for awhile, but she got over it.  She’s fine now.

“I won’t go through that this time.  I know what I’m getting myself into.  I know how to control my emotions towards her.  And I’m still in love with Matt.  You need to stop forgetting that’s a thing.”

Aubrey studies her over the camera for a moment, trying to decide what to say.  She releases a sigh.  _“Look, I know I can’t tell you what to do.  I’m your friend, not your mother.  Just promise me you’ll take some time to think it through before you make such a big decision.  And I don’t mean a quick ‘should I do it?’  I mean full on, exploring every possibility, making a list of pros and cons kind of decision.  Got it?”_

“Okay, Bree.  For you, I’ll think it over.”

_“Good girl.”_

 

* * *

 

Chloe did actually take some time to think it over.  Aubrey is one of her best friends - one who is just looking out for her.  Chloe kind of owed it to her to at least consider her point of view.  So she thought about it - about just picking up and moving in with Beca.  She even lazily made a list of pros and cons.

But her decision was made.

The next night, Chloe finds herself sitting curled up on her couch, patiently waiting for her Facetime call to connect.

Beca’s face suddenly appears on the screen and she flashes her a smile.

_“Hey, Chlo.”_

“Hi, Becs.”

The background behind Beca moves, and Chloe realizes Beca is carrying her laptop around.  

_“Sorry.  I’m all over the place right now.  I just got home.”_

“It’s fine,” Chloe assures her as Beca sits onto the couch and places the laptop on her thighs.  She then sees Beca trying to open a rectangular object with a shiny silver wrapper.  Her own mouth drops open.  “Beca, are you eating a PopTart?”

 _“Yeah...”_ Beca answers as she frees a pastry from the package and takes a bite.  She notices Chloe raise an eyebrow.  _“What?  I need to have dinner.”_

“That is _not_ dinner.”

_“Says who?”_

Chloe giggles.  “You’re hopeless.”

Still chewing, Beca waves her away.   _“Let me live, Beale.”_

Chloe shakes her head in disappointment, then remembers why she had called in the first place.  “So.”

_“So?”_

Chloe pauses for dramatic effect, then shoots her best friend a bright smile. “I’m gonna need a key to our house.”

Chloe sees Beca's face brighten as the tiny brunette mimics the smile. 

 _“I can make that happen.”_  

“Awse.”

Beca takes another bite of her PopTart.  _“So you’ve officially decided, huh?  You’re accepting the job?”_

“I already did.  I called the school today.”

Beca's smile turns into one of those rare warm ones that Chloe loves.   _“Look at you, Beale.  You’re finally doing something for yourself.”_

“Yeah.  I guess I am.”  Chloe fights the urge to blush.  Beca is making her feel better and better about her decision.  “Ya know, Becs, moving to LA and starting this new job...I think this is my adventure.”

The warm smile is replaced with a smug one.   _“Told you you’d find it.”_

Yeah, Chloe thinks she has definitely found it.  And she can’t fucking wait for it to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang in there! We're getting closer!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get to know Matt, shall we?

August quickly approaches and suddenly Chloe finds herself on a one-way flight to LA.  Beca picks her up from the airport (hopefully for the last time...at least for awhile) and brings her back to the house.  Chloe grabs her bag from the trunk and approaches the front door.

“Hold up,” Beca says and stops walking when they near it.

Chloe stops with her.  “What’s wrong?”

Beca digs through her purse and pulls out a little box - one that would hold a pair of earrings or a ring.  “The big reveal,” she announces and holds it out to her.

Chloe just looks at it for a minute and raises an eyebrow.  “You proposing to me, Becs?”

Beca’s mouth drops open when she realizes what this looks like.  “What?  No!  It- It was the only box I had, you weirdo!”  

Chloe giggles at her flustered best friend, which only makes Beca shove the box into her face. 

“Ugh, just open it!”

Chloe takes it and slowly opens the box to find a newly made house key.  Except it’s not just any key.  It’s purple with little sunshines on it.  She feels her lips curve into a wide smile.

“A boring silver one didn’t seem very you,” Beca explains, and Chloe thinks she can see her cheeks turning a little pink.  “I figured this one would be better.”

Chloe takes it out of the box and examines it closer as her heart flutters in her chest.  Of course Beca would think to get her a colorful key, especially one with sunshines on it.  Because Beca is just that thoughtful.  

“I love it,” she tells her tiny best friend.

Beca nods towards the front door.  “Go on.  Try it out.”

Chloe slides the key into the lock and turns it.  She pushes the door open and steps over the threshold.

 _She’s home_.

 

* * *

  

Of course they have their arguments, it comes with the territory of moving in with someone.  Sure, they had lived together in the past, but as Aubrey so cleverly pointed out, they have never lived _alone_ together.  Their annoying habits are right in each other’s faces, and this time, there is no buffer.  However, they always manage to work out their problems and they quickly develop their own routines.

Chloe has now been in her new home for a whole three weeks and she absolutely loves it, just like she knew she would.  Sure, she misses Florida and Matt, but luckily, she doesn’t have to worry about that for much longer.  Because Matt is visiting tomorrow.

Chloe plops a basket of laundry onto her bed and begins folding it.  Beca sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard with her face buried in her laptop.  Chloe has to work around her, but she doesn’t mind.  She likes it when Beca decides to keep her company in her room.  It reminds her of their time at Barden when they would just sit together in silence in one of their rooms, Beca mixing while Chloe read a book or something.  Some of her favorite days were spent that way.

“Didn’t you just do laundry a few days ago?” Beca asks, eyes still on her laptop.

“Yeah, but I needed to wash my good bra.  You know, the one that makes my boobs look like Nicki Minaj’s?”

Beca chuckles, and by the way her cheeks take on a faint shade of pink, Chloe can tell she knows exactly which bra she’s talking about.

“Dude, he’s not gonna care which bra you’re wearing.  He’s just gonna want to take it off, anyway.”

Chloe slaps Beca in the arm with the unfolded shirt she has in her hands.

“What?” Beca asks, offended.  “You know it’s true.”

After rolling her eyes, Chloe returns to folding the shirt.  “This is kind of a big deal.”

“What is?”

“You meeting Matt.”

“Why?  I’ve met him on Facetime.”

“I know, but this is different.  You’re actually going to be face to face, having, like, real conversations with him.”

Beca takes on a worried expression.  “ _What?_  You didn't tell me I'd actually have to  _talk_ to him!  Oh my god, Chlo, I can't do this!  I need to go hide in my room until he leaves.”  She puts the laptop down next to her and moves as if she is going to leave, but quickly cracks, allowing a smile to creep onto her lips as she returns to her previous position on the bed.

Chloe throws a pair of sweatpants at her.

“Rude,” Beca grumbles and holds them back out for Chloe to take.

“You can fold those.  They’re yours anyway.”

Beca rolls her eyes and lazily folds the pants.

“I really hope you like him,” Chloe admits as she grabs a new shirt from the laundry basket.

“I told you at the lodge that I trust your judgement,” Beca reminds her, plopping the sweatpants into the pile with the other folded pants.  “And it doesn’t really matter if I like him.  All that matters is that _you_ like him and that he treats you right.”

“I know, but your opinion is important to me.  Besides, the rest of the Bellas are relying on you to protect me.”

“Dude, I’m not worried."

Chloe is.  Well, not so much worried.  Actually, she’s not sure what she’s feeling right now.  Definitely anxious, though.  This whole situation is just...weird.  Her long-term boyfriend meeting the woman she spent her college years drooling over?  It sounds like an episode of Friends just waiting to happen.

Not that she thinks anything bad _will_ happen.  Matt doesn’t know Chloe had a thing for Beca, and Beca has no reason to dislike Matt.  But she really wants them to get along well.  She doesn’t know what she would do if she ever had to choose between them.  Hopefully, she’ll never have to.

She is pulled out of her thoughts when she hears Beca gasp.  Her eyes dart to the tiny brunette, who has her eyes glued to her laptop with her mouth hanging open.

“No freaking way!” Beca exclaims.

“What?” Chloe asks.

“You remember that stupid announcer guy from the ICCAs?  His sex tape just got leaked!”

“Oh my god, seriously?  That’s gross!”

Beca pats the spot on the bed next to her.  “Come investigate this with me.”

Even though she would rather not learn the details about the scandal, she quickly folds the pair of yoga pants she has in her hand and hops onto the bed next to Beca.  She rests her head on Beca’s shoulder and directs her gaze to the screen, which currently displays an article titled "ICCA Announcer John Smith Uses his Mouth for More Than Just Announcing."  As the warmth of her best friend makes her anxiety drift away, she begins reading.  

_It's going to be fine._

 

* * *

 

With an exhausted sigh, Beca slides her key into the lock of her front door, opens it, and steps inside.  It’s been a long day, her boss kept her two hours late, and all she wants to do is grab a quick bite to eat and go to bed.

“Becs?” she hears Chloe call as she heads for the kitchen.

“Hey, sorry I’m so late.  Ricky decided to have a last minute brainstorming session,” Beca calls back as she plops her keys and bag down onto the counter.  She hears footsteps and turns to see Chloe enter from the living room.  

She recognizes the guy that's standing next to her and holding her hand to be Matt.  She had seen him a few times on Facetime, along with the millions of pictures Chloe had shown her of him, but now Beca can finally get a good look at him.  Light brown wavy hair, bright green eyes, lean yet fit body...Anybody would admit he’s attractive, even if it’s in a guy-next-door way.

“Oh.  Hey,” she greets again. 

“Beca, this is Matt,” Chloe introduces.

Matt flashes her a big smile, and Beca can’t help but notice how white his teeth are.  “Nice to finally meet you,” he says, extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Beca replies, trying to put on her politest smile and shaking his offered hand.

“My two favorite people,” Chloe hums as she wraps her arms around Matt’s middle.

“I’m telling Posen you said that,” Beca snorts.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut.  Subjecting you to that crazy woman’s wrath may be a little extreme,” Beca decides as she heads to the cupboard.

“Becs, what did we say about being nice?” Chloe points out in her best teacher voice.

“That it’s impossible to do so when I’m hungry,“ Beca answers as she frees a package of PopTarts from the cupboard.

“Hey!” Chloe yells and finally peels herself away from Matt to stomp over to her.  She snatches the PopTarts right out of her hand.  “Nice try, missy.  There’s a plate for you in the fridge.”

“That’s not fair,” Beca whines.  “I assumed you two would be out at a restaurant or something.  I’ve been looking forward to those PopTarts all day.”

Chloe puts the PopTarts back in the cupboard.  “You can have them for breakfast.”

After it becomes clear that pouting at her best friend isn’t going to work, Beca looks to Matt.  “Does she ever let _you_ get your way?”

“Nope,” Matt laughs.  “But, I mean, how can you say no to that adorable face?”

Chloe’s smile is so bright that she could probably blind someone with it.  “Aw, babe!” she squeals, then leans in for a kiss.

Beca takes this opportunity to head for the fridge.  Less than five minutes in and this is already starting to get gross.  Terrific.

After heating up the plate of chicken parm Chloe had made for her in the microwave, Beca plops into one of the seats at the kitchen island and begins eating.

“So, Beca, how are you liking living with this one again?” Matt asks from the seat across from her.  “She driving you crazy yet?”

“Oh my god, it’s horrible,” Beca complains.

“Hey!” Chloe interjects, but Beca ignores her.  Teasing Chloe is too much fun.

“She’s an absolute monster.  She’s always so perky and she wakes me up early on the weekends and she doesn’t let me eat PopTarts...”

“Becaaaa!"

“Seriously, dude.  Please take her home with you.  I don’t know how much longer I can stand her.”

Beca sees Chloe stick her tongue out at her, which only causes her to smirk.

“I know, right?” Matt plays along.  “She’s the worst.  She’s always in such a great mood and she sings and dances around the house.  Not to mention she’s always wearing that blinding smile of hers.  It’s super distracting.  I was very happy to send her here to live with you.”

“Hey!” Chloe playfully whines again and lightly slaps him in the arm.  “Not nice!”

“And that cute little pouty thing she does?  Yeah, I definitely don’t miss that,” Matt continues.

Beca knows exactly what he’s talking about.  The way Chloe’s bright blue eyes widen like that cat from Shrek and her bottom lip juts out slightly.  It’s a face to which Beca can never say no.

As if on cue, Chloe crosses her arms and does ‘that cute little pouty thing.'  Clearly Matt falls for it as easily as Beca does.

“Okay, okay.  If I give you your present now, will that make it all better?” he asks.

Chloe’s face lights up and Beca sees her eyes practically glow.  “You got me a present?”

“Of course I did!  But I mean, if you don’t want it, I can keep it for myself...” he plays.

“Nooo give it to me!” Chloe whines, excitedly tugging at his arm like a little kid.

Matt laughs.  “I’ll go grab it.”  

Once Chloe hears his feet on the stairs, she turns to Beca.  “So, what do you think of him?”

Quite honestly, Beca isn’t sure what she thinks of him yet.  “He seems nice?” she tries.

“That’s it?”

“Dude, I just met him, like, ten minutes ago.”

“So?  I know you’ve got more than ‘he seems nice.’”

Beca shoves another bite of food into her mouth to avoid answering.  Not that she has any reason to not want to answer.  It’s not like she dislikes him or anything.  He really _does_ seem nice.  She just feels weird talking about him, as if she’s giving Chloe her stamp of approval to keep seeing him.  Chloe can do whatever she wants.

“Come on, Becs!  That’s all you’re going to give me?”

“You should have thought of that before you took my PopTart away,” Beca retorts.  This gets her a poke in the ribs, causing her to flinch.  “Hey!  I’m eating here!  Do you want me to choke?”

“You should have thought of _that_ before you got all smug with me,” Chloe teases.

They hear feet on the stairs again and Matt re-enters the kitchen with a colorfully wrapped gift box.

“Yay!” Chloe squeals like a little kid and takes the box out of his hands.  She places it on the island and excitedly rips the paper off of it.  Her mouth drops open when she lifts the lid, and for a second, Beca is afraid that she is going to cry.  What the fuck is in there?

Chloe lifts what appears to be a few sheets of paper out of the box, then looks to Matt in awe.  “You got me musical pun stickers?”

He wears a proud smile.  “I saw them and I knew you had to have them.”

“Oh my god!  Look at them!  ‘How Clef-er!’  ‘Looking Sharp!’  ‘That’s my forte!’  These are amazing!”  She kisses him and Beca averts her eyes.  

“There’s more,” Matt points out and Chloe’s face is instantly back in the box.

She squeals again when she sees the next set of stickers.  “They’re music notes with little faces!  Look, Becs!”  She holds out the stickers for Beca to see.

“They’re cool,” Beca tries.  Sure, they’re cute and they’re appropriate for Chloe’s new job, but come on, they’re just stickers, not Beyonce tickets.

“I figured they would be good because they’re not as boring as regular music notes, but they’re all the same color so -”

“So nobody fights over them!” Chloe squeals, finishing Matt's sentence.  She's practically looking at him with heart eyes.  “You get me!”

Beca just watches them from her spot at the island.  What is even going on right now?  Are they really geeking out over _stickers_?  Is there really a method to sticker-buying?  Did she miss something?

Then it hits her.  Right.  She doesn’t know this Chloe.  Teacher Chloe.  Florida Chloe.  Matt’s Chloe.  The one who goes to brunch and writes lesson plans and gets excited over a jumbo pack of markers.  The Chloe that came to be once they fell out of touch.  Looks like she’s going to have to get to know this Chloe.

Chloe places the stickers back in the box, then kisses Matt on the lips again, this time a little deeper than Beca would have preferred to see.  “Thank you, baby.  They’re perfect.”

“ _You’re_ perfect.”

Beca takes a swig of her beer to keep herself from vomiting.  Ugh, did they suddenly enter one of those cheesy romantic movies Chloe occasionally makes her suffer through?  They better not make a habit of it.  Otherwise, it's going to be a long five days.

 

* * *

  

After Beca finishes eating, Chloe somehow convinces her to sit outside on the deck with them and just hang out.  All she wants to do is go to bed, but Matt wasn’t wrong about that face.  Nobody can say no to Chloe. 

They just make small talk, and Beca can’t help but feel a little awkward.  Sure, Matt is nice, but she doesn’t know what to say to him.  It’s a different dynamic than the one she and Chloe have.  And it’s not necessarily bad, it’s just...different.

Chloe, of course, is having no problem keeping the conversation going, but even she seems different.  She’s still bubbly as fuck, but she seems more, what is it?  Tranquil, maybe?  Like someone turned her from the high setting to the low setting, but not completely off.  Beca isn’t used to her sitting so still.

It could also have to do with the fact that Chloe is in Matt’s arms, like, all of the time.  Seriously, they are literally always touching in some way, whether their arms are wrapped around each other or they are simply holding hands, which only adds to the awkwardness for Beca.  She knows she shouldn’t be so grossed out by it - it’s probably just a side effect of being in a long distance relationship - but it still makes her squirm.

“So,” Chloe begins once there is a lull in the conversation.

“So?” Beca responds.

“We’re going to the beach tomorrow.  And I want you to come.”

Beca feels her hands suddenly begin playing with the cushion on the chair, signaling that she’s nervous.  Fuck.  That situation has ‘third wheel’ written all over it.  “Um....”

“Come on, Becs!”

“Don’t you two want to go alone?”

“Nooo, it will be more fun if you come,” Chloe whines, then turns to Matt.  “No offense, baby.”

Matt puts his hands up in defense.  “None taken.”

“Please, Beca?”

Beca doesn’t answer, clearly not wanting to say yes, but at the same time, not wanting to be mean and say no.

Chloe must be able to tell, because she rises from her seat and slowly approaches her.  Beca sees something change in her face and she knows that Chloe’s energy dial is being turned from low back to high.  “Pleeeaase?"

“Chloeee,” Beca groans.  She’s really not in the mood to be talked into this right now.

“Please?” Chloe continues to beg as she effortless plops down onto Beca’s lap, straddling her hips.

This kind of thing doesn’t even phase Beca anymore.  Chloe is all over her all the time.  It never means anything.

Matt, however, is watching with raised eyebrows. 

Still not wanting to give in, Beca squints her eyes like she’s thinking about it, but not convinced.

“Please?” Chloe asks again and pokes Beca in the ribs, causing her to flinch.

“Chlo!”

Chloe pokes her again.  “Please?”  And again.  "Please?"

Beca just needs those hands to stop.  “Alright!  Fine, I’ll come!”

“Yay!” Chloe squeals, then gets off of Beca and returns to her spot next to Matt, who has a look on his face like a stranger just flashed him or something.

“What did I just witness?” he asks with a hint of a laugh in his tone.  Sounds like Chloe isn't this touchy with her Florida friends. 

“That’s how I get my way with Beca,” Chloe answers with a proud smile.

Beca rolls her eyes and Chloe blows her a kiss.

This is going to be interesting.

 

* * *

 

Beca had agreed to spend the day at the beach with them on one condition: that Jesse could come, too.  It's bad enough that she has to put on pants on a Saturday.  She doesn’t want to suffer through that  _and_   spend the entire day as the third wheel.  Luckily, Jesse is happy to tag along.

That morning, Beca wakes up to the sound of more movement in the kitchen than normal.  She rolls out of bed and lazily throws on her bathing suit, with a tank top and shorts over it, along with a Snapback since she’s too lazy to do anything with her hair.  It’s just going to get windblown anyway.  She then sluggishly makes her way downstairs to join the two overly-happy voices she hears.

“Morning, Becs!” Chloe greets in a way that’s so sunny that Beca feels the need to squint.

“Good morning, Beca,” Matt calls from whatever he’s doing at the counter.

“Morning,” Beca drowsily responds and takes the cup of coffee Chloe hands her.  “Thanks.”

“Pancakes,” Chloe says, pointing to a plate of green pancakes that sits on the kitchen island, then returns to the counter with Matt.

Beca sits in one of the chairs and plops a few onto the plate Chloe had left out for her.  “Green today, huh?”

“Green is Matt’s favorite color.”

Of course it is.  And of course Chloe would make them Matt’s favorite color while he’s visiting.  That sweet little dork.  

Beca busies herself with eating, but watches Chloe and Matt at the counter.  They appear to be packing snacks for the day.

She can’t help but think Chloe was right when she said they were domesticated.  They work like a team and they maneuver well around each other in a small space, as if they each know where the other one is going before they even take a step.  And they smile the entire time.

“Checklist,” Chloe finally demands once she decides they have packed enough snacks to hold them over.

“Towels,” Matt supplies.

“Check.”

“Blankets.”

“Check.”

“Sunscreen.”

“Check.”

“Bathing suit?”

Chloe lifts up her shirt to reveal killer abs and her bikini top, and Beca forces herself to bring her eyes to her plate in fear of staring for too long. “Check.”

As Beca recovers from the sight, the doorbell rings.  “I got it,” she quickly announces, then rises from her seat and makes her way to the door.

“Becaw!”

“Hello, Jesse,” Beca deadpans.

“Excuse me.  If remember correctly, I’m doing you a solid today.  A little enthusiasm would be nice,” Jesse says as he enters, carrying a towel.

“You would have been happy to come anyway and you know it.”

“Of course.  You can never have enough Beca time,” he says with a smile as she leads him to the kitchen.

“Hey, Jesse,” Chloe greets as they enter.

“Hey, Chloe.”

Matt extends a hand.  “I’m Matt.”

Jesse shakes his hand.  “Jesse.  Nice to meet you.”  He then tosses his towel into the bag Chloe has packed with the rest of the beach gear.  “So is everybody pumped to beach it up?” he asks excitedly, clearly for the sole purpose of annoying Beca.

“Fuck yeah!” Chloe cheers.

“I can’t wait.  It will be nice to be on the beach without all the Florida humidity,” Matt chimes in.

Beca just grunts and puts her head on the table.

“Chloe, has our Queen B not been properly caffeinated today?” Jesse asks playfully.

“She has.  She’s just grumpy because she has to do something other than just lay in bed all weekend.”

“It’ll be worth it, Beca.  I promise,” Matt assures her.

Beca suppresses the glare her face is threatening to shoot at him and gives him a tight smile instead.  She doesn’t remember asking him for his opinion.  But she quickly gives herself an attitude check and realizes she’s being ridiculous.  She has no reason to be pissed off by that.  He’s just trying to be nice.  She directs her attention back to her plate.  _Chill out, Mitchell_.   _Be nice.  He makes Chloe happy_ _._

 

* * *

 

Once Beca finishes her last few bites of her pancakes, and once Jesse finishes the ones he decides to steal, they head out.

The car ride isn’t too painful.  In fact, Jesse and Matt seem to hit it off.

They park, grab their gear, and head for the beach.

As they get closer, Beca notices seagulls flying around and her body instantly tenses.  She fucking hates those birds.  They’re greedy and aggressive and have no sense of personal space.

One swoops down a little closer than her liking and she ducks a little, even though it’s not _that_ close to her.  But, like, seriously, what the fuck?  She’s not even carrying the food bag!  Although that one guy just passed her carrying a hot dog.

She sees a bouncy red blob appear next to her and she realizes that Chloe has ditched the boys, who are geeking out about movies, and hung back a few steps to walk with her.

“I saw that,” she informs Beca.

“I always forget about these little assholes,” Beca hisses.

“Don’t worry, Becs, I’ll protect you.  Just like I did at the lodge,” Chloe teases.

Beca rolls her eyes, and even though she is wearing sunglasses, she knows her best friend can see it.

“I’m glad you agreed to come today,” Chloe continues, this time more serious.

“Yeah,” Beca grumbles, then warily eyes the seagull flying above them.  “Remind me why I did that?”

“Because you love me,” Chloe says with a glowing smile, then playfully takes the Snapback Beca is wearing and places it on her own head.  

Beca isn’t going to fight her for it.  It’s not worth the effort and it’s making Chloe smile.  Plus, it kind of looks good on her.  If Chloe wants to walk around the rest of the day wearing a black hat that says ‘I’m a DJ’ on it in big white letters, she’ll let her.

They finally get to the beach and after setting up, they go into the water and just hang out.  Eventually, Jesse and Matt play catch with the nerf football they brought while Chloe and Beca opt to lay on the blankets and enjoy the sun.

This part Beca doesn’t mind - just laying next to her best friend, making casual conversation without a care in the world.  It’s one of the few moments in life where she can finally relax and not worry about work.

After a little while, Chloe rises to her feet.

“Where are you going?” Beca asks her, propping herself up with her elbow.

“I’m gonna put my feet in.  Come with me?”

It’s not like Beca can say no.  Not to that hopeful smile.  She stands and follows Chloe to the water, only going in enough to get her ankles wet.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she feels eyes on her.  She glances around and quickly finds the source.  A group of four guys around her age sit nearby, each holding a can of beer in their hand.  Beca can tell by the number of empty cans on the sand next to them as well as by their crooked smiles that they’re a little drunk.  

And they’re all staring in her direction.  More specifically, at Chloe.

“What’s wrong?”

Beca turns her head back around to Chloe.  She debates telling her, but decides against it.  She doesn’t need to make her best friend feel uncomfortable, too.  “Nothing.”

Then she hears a whistle coming from behind her.

Chloe takes a quick glance around and sees where it came from.  “Sometimes, I’m really happy that I’m bi.”

“Me, too,” Beca agrees.

“Damn!  Look at that ass!” the one guy in the group that happens to be standing says to the rest of his friends.

“I bet you could bounce a quarter off of it!” one of the guys who wears a blue Snapback chimes in.

Beca feels her entire body stiffen as she looks to Chloe, who rolls her eyes.  “This happens sometimes.  Just ignore them.”

Beca forces herself to take a deep breath so she can let her anger dissipate.  She has every intention of doing exactly as Chloe says.  That is, until the standing douchebag speaks again.

“Hey, Red!  Does the carpet match the drapes?”

Beca’s head whips around, one of her infamous glares already on her face.  Are these guys for real right now?  

Chloe must be able to see that she’s getting pissed because she gently touches her arm.  “Come on, let’s just walk somewhere else.”  She gives her arm a light tug and Beca is about to move with her when one of the guys - this one wears American flag sunglasses - speaks up.

“C’mon, Red!  We want to know!”

Beca can’t take it anymore.  Nobody talks to Chloe like that.  Her resolve completely snaps and she finds herself taking a few steps towards the guys.  “Hey!  Why don’t you put those big mouths of yours to better use and go suck each other’s dicks!”

“Ohhhh!” the guys whoop, amused by the witty comeback.

“Beca,” Chloe calls, trying to get her attention.  But Beca doesn’t turn around.  “Beca, it’s not worth it.”  

“Why do that when your friend here can do it for us?” the final member of the group who has a tattoo band around his bicep comments.

If Beca wasn’t fuming before, she sure is now.  She can feel her heart rate accelerate as the adrenaline starts pumping, and she has to fight the urge to walk right up to those guys and break each one of their noses.  She decides she doesn’t even like the fact that they are looking at her best friend in the first place, so she steps in front of her, as if their gazes are going to cause Chloe harm or something.

“Beca, don’t.” 

She feels Chloe gently touch her shoulder, but she shrugs it off.

“C’mon, baby!” the SnapBack douchebag continues.  “I promise you’ll like it!”

“Hey!  Leave her alone!”

“Ohhh!” the guys all whoop again.

The standing douchebag looks to Chloe.  “Looks like somebody has a little crush on you, sweetheart!”

Beca has to firmly plant her feet in the sand.  That nose-breaking idea is just sounding better and better.  Her Bellas are allowed to tease her about liking Chloe, and Jesse is allowed to make the occasional comment, but these guys have no right.  “Shut the fuck up!”

“Woah, what’s going on?” Jesse asks as he approaches with Matt at his heels.

The three sitting douchebags stand to match their friend as the boys approach, ready to defend each other if need be.

“They’re just being jerks.  They’re harmless,” Chloe answers.

“Are you okay?” Matt asks her.

“I’m fine,” Chloe assures him.

“Damn right you are, baby!” the standing douchebag calls, then whistles again.

Before Jesse or Matt can react, Beca steps in again  “I said don’t fucking talk to my friend that way!  In fact, don’t talk to her at all.  You know what?  Don’t even look at her!”

Wanting to challenge her, the standing douchebag takes a step closer with an intrigued smile.  But Beca isn’t the least bit intimidated, and her glare never falters.

Jesse, however, is starting to get a little nervous.  “Beca, come on, let’s go.”

But Beca ignores him.  She’s not done.

“She is the sweetest, most kind-hearted person ever and she does _not_ deserve to be spoken to that way!  And I swear to fucking god if you keep looking at her like that, we’re gonna have a serious fucking problem!”

“Ohh,” the standing douchebag teases, pretending to be afraid for a second.  He quickly drops that act and squares his shoulders.  “What’s a little runt like you gonna do to me, huh?”

Beca had originally been fine with them insulting her as long as they left Chloe alone.  But they just brought height into this.  Only Aubrey is allowed to tease her about being short.

“Bec-” Jesse warns, knowing their words just hit a nerve.

But it’s too late.  The fuse has already been lit.  She pushes past Jesse and walks closer to the guys, fists clenched at her sides, hoping to intimidate them.  “Just take your beers and walk away, assholes!”

She knows it’s kind of stupid to ask them to walk away from their own turf, but she has a point to prove.  And a cute redhead to defend.

“Beca, chill!” Jesse butts in.

When the guys don’t move, Beca takes another quick step towards them, this time shouting, “You heard me!  Walk away!”

Jesse steps in front of her.  He holds her arms so she can’t try to shove past him and he looks her hard in the eye.  “Beca, let it go.  All you’re doing is encouraging them.”

Annoyed and kind of embarrassed, Beca shrugs out of his grip and after shooting the guys one last glare, she turns and walks off.

“Bec-” Chloe tries, but Beca waves her away.

“Teach your bitch some manners, man!” she hears one of the douchebags shout.

Behind her, it sounds like Matt has to step in front of Jesse before he does something stupid, but she doesn’t turn around. 

She needs to get out of here.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Feelings?


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before I start, I just want to thank you guys for being so awesome! This fic reached 80-something subscribers and got almost two hundred kudos this week and I still can't wrap my head around that! Seriously, you guys rock and your comments mean so much to me! 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter gave me a really hard time, so I'm sorry if it's not my best. Also, as I've mentioned before, I'm not from LA so anything related to the pier and what's on it is an educated guess. I'm from New Jersey, so I kinda just based it all off of what it's like at the beach here, even though it's probably super different. Happy reading!

Beca walks as fast as her short legs can carry her.  She doesn’t really know where they’re taking her and she doesn’t really care.  She just needs to get the fuck away from it all.

And what the fuck was that?  Why did she react like that?  Beca’s not a violent person.  She never really has been, aside from that one time at Barden freshman year.  She prefers to use her words to fight - usually a dry or sarcastic comment paired with one of her glares if necessary.  If that doesn’t work, she just retreats.

But this time was different.  This time, she totally lost her shit.  This time, she was ready to rip those guys to shreds.  One more comment and she would have charged at them, she knows it.  She would have attempted to fight four guys that were three times her size without giving it a second thought.  What the hell was she thinking?

“Beca!”

Right.  _That’s_ what this is all about.  The bubbly redhead that makes life so much better.

By the volume of the worried voice, Beca can tell her best friend is catching up to her, probably a few yards away now.  She knows she should just stop walking - it’s only a matter of seconds before she catches up to her anyway - but her legs keep moving.  She can’t stop walking.  If she stops, she’ll have to face Chloe.  And she’s not ready to do that.

To tell the truth, she’s pretty embarrassed about the whole thing.  She kind of went a little nuts back there.  She was the one who started it.  Sure, those douchebags made the comments first, but she was the one who decided to turn it into a fight.  She could have ignored them - _should_ have ignored them - just like Chloe had suggested.  But no, she had to get all protective and lose her shit.  _Way to go, Mitchell_.

“Beca, wait!”

Oh god, how must have that looked to Chloe?  It must have looked less platonic than she had hoped it would, because even the douchebags knew it right off the bat.  _Looks like somebody has a little crush on you, sweetheart!_ Shit, what the hell is she going to say to her best friend?

Maybe she should run.  Get an Uber home and avoid having to face Chloe altogether.  Or at least buy herself some time.

But it’s too late to put that brilliant idea into action because Chloe has finally caught up to her and is staring at her with those piercing blue eyes.  “Beca!”

Even though Beca accepts that she's going to have to suck it up and have this conversation, her legs keep moving, still powered from all the adrenaline.

“Will you just stop for a minute and talk to me?”

Although they are laced with concern, the words kind of calm Beca, pulling her out of her own crazed mental state.  Allowing the question to ground her, Beca finally stops walking and reluctantly brings her gaze to meet Chloe’s.  “Are you okay?” she asks quietly, knowing that the whole situation probably shook her best friend up a bit.

“The real question is are _you_ okay?  I mean, what was that?”

Beca’s eyes find the ground again as she brushes her hands through her hair.  She releases a heavy sigh.  “I...I don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen you like that before.  It kinda looked like you were going to punch one of them or something.”   

The hint of fear in Chloe’s voice makes Beca’s stomach churn.  It kills her to think that she might have scared her best friend a little bit.  Or worse, disappointed her.

“Becs?”

The soft call of her name pulls Beca’s gaze back up to meet those concerned blue eyes.  Dammit, why does she have to look at her with those things?  Beca feels them burning a hole through her skull.  She knows that Chloe is expecting her to say something, but also that she’s willing to wait as long as it takes for her to find the words.

Crap.  What is she supposed to say?  What _can_ she say that won’t make her look like a pathetic little dweeb?  Well, she was just defending her friend, right?  Friends stick up for each other, don't they?  She can't help it if she went a little overboard.

Those eyes are really starting to burn now.  She needs to give her _something._ “I guess I just...couldn’t let them talk to you like that.”  She holds her breath as she watches the words register in the redhead’s brain.

“Okay, but maybe just stick with one of your glares next time?”  Chloe ends the question with a small smile, and it grows with what she says next.  “We don’t need to add to that criminal record of yours.”

Beca can finally breathe again and she even allows a small smile to creep onto her face.  Good.  Chloe’s not afraid of her.  “Yeah.  Good point.”  Her eyes find the ground again, suddenly shy.  “I’m sorry,” she apologizes quietly.  “I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“Hey.  Look at me.”  Beca brings herself to look into those calming blue eyes once again and is relieved to see that they are neither upset nor angry.  “It’s fine, okay?  Let’s not let a bunch of douchebags ruin our great day.”  As she says this, Chloe takes a step closer and brings her hand up to brush the windblown hair out of Beca’s face, gently tucking it behind her ear.  

Beca tenses as she does it and she feels her heart rate speed up.  But she can’t stop looking into those beautiful blue eyes.  “Okay,” she manages once Chloe’s hand retreats.

Just when Beca thinks the emotional part is over, toned arms pull her into a tight hug and she feels Chloe bury her face into her hair.

“Thank you for sticking up for me like that.  It was really sweet.  Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before.”

Beca feels her eyebrows furrow and she’s thankful Chloe can’t see it.

Nobody has ever done that for her before?  What the fuck does that mean?  No guy has ever stuck up for Chloe while she was being catcalled?  It's not like Chloe getting hit on is a total rarity, it's definitely happened before.  How the fuck could anyone see that happening and _not_ want to defend the adorable, innocent redhead?

Beca’s thoughts are interrupted when she feels Chloe release her and grab her hand, giving it a quick squeeze.  “Come on.  Let’s go back to the boys.  They've gone too long without supervision.”

 

* * *

 

They return to their blankets, but quickly decide to join the boys’ game of catch.

Even though Beca is beginning to relax again, thoughts of her fight with those douchebags continue to taunt her.  She still can't get over how she allowed herself to do that.  To just let her emotions get the best of her and make a complete fool of herself.  To pick a fight over the girl that's supposed to be her best friend, nothing more.  And it's kind of freaking her out.  Emotions are fucking scary.

She extends her hands to catch the ball Jesse just threw her way when suddenly, a bouncy red blob appears in front of her and intercepts it.  Chloe turns around with a playful smile, tossing the football around in her hands.

“Um, excuse me,” Beca says pointedly.

Chloe puts on a fake-innocent expression.  “Oh, I’m sorry.  Was that coming to you?”

“Kinda.”

“Oh, bummer.  I guess you’re gonna have to come get it, then.”  Chloe begins walking backwards into the water with a devious smirk.

Beca watches her wade deeper for a moment as she decides on a plan of action.  She doesn’t really want to go into the cold water and nearly freeze to death, but then again, Chloe is challenging her, and she can’t let her win without a fight.

Making her decision, Beca walks in Chloe’s direction, cringing as she feels the cold water getting higher on her body, reaching her stomach.  She tries to ignore the fact that her hair is standing on end.  She has too much pride to give up.

As Beca reaches her, Chloe playfully holds the ball above her head out of reach.  Beca knows she’s doing it just to push her buttons.  Height can be a sensitive subject.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be?” Beca asks, crossing her arms.

Chloe wiggles her eyebrows.  “Whatcha gonna do about it, Mitchell?”

After just staring for a minute, Beca finally plows into Chloe, knocking them both below the surface.  They fight for the ball as they splash in the water, each woman refusing to surrender.

“Give it!” Beca demands through the splashing.

“Never!” Chloe declares and pushes a wave of water towards her.

Beca quickly recovers from the freezing cold splash, and she pushes the wet hair out of her face to see that Chloe is laughing at her.

She allows herself to release a giggle of her own and she can’t help but notice how much better she feels about the douchebag incident.  Guess all I took was a little wrestling in the ocean and Chloe’s bright smile.

As Beca catches her breath, Chloe readjusts her stance and brings the football back over her head.  “Is that all you’ve got, Becs?”

“You don’t know what I’ve got,” Beca fires back.

Chloe shoots her a flirty smile.  “Then why don’t you come show me?”

Accepting the challenge with a smirk, Beca wades towards her, knowing exactly how she’s going to claim her victory.  “I don’t know if you can handle it.”

Chloe looks down at her as Beca gets dangerously close.  “Try me.”

Making sure their their bodies are only inches apart, Beca stares into Chloe’s eyes for a moment, then takes a quick glance down at her lips.  She sees Chloe do the same, except the redhead’s gaze lingers there a bit longer than it should before she makes eye contact again.  Perfect.  This is right where she wants her.

After taking a second to prepare herself, Beca brings her gaze down again to those lips and slowly starts to lean in.  She thinks she hears Chloe’s breath hitch, and it kind of looks like she is starting to lean in, too.

But she can’t be sure, because the moment ends when Beca throws on a devious smirk and jumps up, tapping the ball out of Chloe’s hand.  The ball falls right into Beca’s arms and the redhead’s mouth drops open in shock.

“Ha!” Beca shouts, then quickly turns around and runs for the shore.  She’s not about to stick around and let her competitive best friend retaliate.  Actually, she is kind of surprised to see that Chloe is not at her heels when she reaches the shore.  She turns to see her in the same spot in the water, clearly shaking herself out of whatever that trick did to her.

“Is this normal for them?” she hears Matt ask Jesse nearby, intrigued.

“Yeah, they’ve been like this since Barden,” Jesse answers with a laugh.  “It’s how they are.  You learn to just roll with it.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

Beca hears splashing and turns to see Chloe reaching the shoreline.  “I’ve got to hand it to you, Mitchell.  That was well-played.”

Beaming, Beca holds the ball in the air in victory.  “Damn right it was!  Who’s the champion now?”

But Chloe's smile only widens.  She reaches over and pokes Beca in the side, causing her to flinch and almost drop the ball.  Beca holds it close to her chest and points a warning finger at Chloe.  “Don’t you dare.”

“Fine, I’ll let you have this one.  Ya know, since you defended my honor and everything.”

Beca knows that her cheeks are probably turning pink and she tries to hide it with an eye roll.

“So, like, are we going to play catch now?  Or do you two wanna go do that whole sexy wet wrestling thing again?” Jesse asks.

Beca slaps him in the arm.  “Shut up!”

“I mean, I’d watch that again,” Matt teases with a smile.

“You wish, baby,” Chloe says with a smirk, then leans in to kiss him.

 

* * *

 

They eventually grow tired of the beach and after bringing their gear back to the car, they decide to walk on the pier.  Jesse and Matt wind up falling a little behind as they get into a deep conversation about Star Wars, leaving Beca and Chloe alone together.

Chloe steals a glance back at them.  “Jesse and Matt seem to be getting along really well.  I feel like we’re intruding on their date or something.”

“They do kind of make a cute couple,” Beca replies, eliciting a laugh from her best friend.

“Not as cute as us, though.  Anyone who disagrees would have to face the wrath of our Bellas.”

Beca giggles, suddenly picturing Fat Amy sitting on anyone who dares to say she and Chloe aren’t cute together.  Or Flo getting into a catfight with the person.  Or Lilly pulling out her throwing stars.  Her Bellas sure are something else, and she wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Chloe steals another glance back at Jesse and Matt.  “This is good.  I was hoping they’d like each other.  This might be some incentive for Matt to move here.”

Beca feels a sharp pain in her gut and it takes everything she has not to react to it.  Through the pain and the sudden pounding of her heart, she feels something growing in her chest.  Is that fear?  Maybe anger?  She isn’t completely sure.

All she can process is that she does not want Matt to move here.  He doesn’t need to.  He and Chloe are doing fine with the whole long distance thing.  Sure, it has only been three weeks so far, but they talk all the time.  Besides, Matt sounds happy living in Florida.  There’s no reason for him to move across the country and take Chloe away from her.

Beca suddenly realizes what she’s thinking and quickly gives herself a reality check.  Of course there’s a reason for Matt to move here.  Beca can’t help but always notice the hurt in Chloe’s eyes every time she hangs up the phone or ends a Facetime date with him.  The way she sometimes brings him up in a conversation, saying she wishes he were there, doing whatever they are doing.  And there are the occasional nights where Chloe crawls into bed with her, claiming that hers feels too big without him in it.  Of course Matt should move here.  Hey, it’s better than Chloe moving back to Florida.

Chloe must see the fear in her face.  “Oh my god, Becs, breathe.  Not anytime soon, of course!  _I_ just got here.”

“Oh, okay,” Beca says, catching the breath she hadn’t realized she lost.

“Although,” Chloe ponders, “it could be fun having him live with us.  My aca-wife and my boyfriend...You know, he does have a decent voice.  He could add some great bass to our Titanium shower routine.”  The smirk on her face could not be bigger.

“Oh my god, you’re gross!” Beca yells, feeling her cheeks turn pink, just like every other time Chloe mentions that day.

“I think you’d secretly be into it,” Chloe teases.

Beca reaches over and taps the tip of the Snapback Chloe put back on after the beach, causing it to almost fall off her head.  

Chloe’s hands shoot up to save it.  “Excuse me.  Don’t mess up my hat,” she threatens, straightening it out.

“Dude!  That’s _my_ hat!  You stole it from me this morning!” Beca argues.

“But it looks so good on me, Becs,” Chloe whines.

“That’s what you said about the last hat you stole from me back at Barden.  You know, the navy blue one that faintly says ‘fuck off’ on it?  Yeah, don’t think I forgot about that.”

“That was a great one,” Jesse reminisces as he and Matt finally catch up to them.

“I’ve had that one for, what, five, maybe six years now?  You’re not getting it back,” Chloe decides, shooting her a smug smile.

“Aca-thief,” Beca grumbles.  

Except she doesn’t really mind.  Sure, it was her favorite SnapBack back in her Barden days, but the way it made Chloe smile the first time she stole it and put it on - and all of the times after that - well, Beca couldn’t bring herself to protest.  When Chloe finally stopped returning it altogether, she didn’t have the heart to steal it back and take that smile away.  The things she does for her best friend...

“She still wears it sometimes, if that makes it any better,” Matt tries.

“Yo!  That’s the arcade that has the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game from the nineties!” Jesse exclaims, pointing to an arcade a short distance ahead of them.

“Really?  I kicked ass at that game!” Matt brags.

“I bet I can take you,” Jesse challenges.

“Alright, I’ll take that bet.”  

Both boys turn to Beca and Chloe.

“Can we play?  Please?” Jesse asks like a little kid.

“Of course!” Chloe answers.  “Come find us when you’re done.  We won’t go far.”

Matt gives Chloe a quick kiss on the cheek and then he and Jesse excitedly take off running towards the arcade.

“I’ve never felt so mature in my life,” Beca says.

Chloe shakes her head and giggles, then grabs Beca’s arm and pulls her along.  “Come on.  Let’s explore.”

They leisurely walk around the pier, looking at all of the colorful stands and games.

Chloe slows her pace as they pass a ring toss game and points to one of the prizes hanging above them.  “Look!  They have a purple koala!  Isn’t it the cutest?”

“Sure,” Beca says, not really interested.

Chloe drops it and they continue strolling along, but Beca notices that she keeps stealing glances back at the koala.

Beca isn’t a fan of boardwalk games.  They always make it really hard to win, and people wind up emptying their wallet on a stupid stuffed animal that they could have gotten at the dollar store.  Yet she finds herself taking Chloe’s hand and leading her back in the direction of the game.  Sure, she may be broke by the end of the day, but seeing Chloe’s smile when the game attendant hands her the koala will be worth it.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asks as she lets Beca pull her along.

Beca walks up to the attendant.  “Excuse me, how many do I have to get for the purple koala?”

“Two gold bottles, four green bottles, or eight red ones,” he answers as if winning the damn stuffed animal will be the easiest thing in the world.

“And how much to play?”

“Four rings for five bucks.”

Beca slaps a five on the table and the attendant places the rings in front of her.  She picks one ring up for herself and hands one to Chloe.  “Let’s do this.”

They quickly toss all of the rings and miss every time.  Expecting this would happen, Beca easily pulls out another five and hands it to the attendant.

“Round two,” she announces, handing Chloe a ring.

They miss them all again.

Starting to get a little frustrated, Beca decides to give it one more try.

“Becs, you don’t have to do this,” Chloe interjects as Beca pulls out another five.

“I have a good feeling about this one,” Beca tells her as the attendant gives her the rings.  “Third time’s the charm.”

She throws her first ring and it bounces off the rim of one of the bottles and misses.  “Dammit!”

“So close!” Chloe grunts.

Beca takes a step to the side to watch Chloe make her throw.  She can’t help but smile at the way Chloe bites her lip as her bright blue eyes scan the bottles, choosing a target.  She makes her throw and it lands in between two bottles.  She lets out a grunt of frustration.

“Try again,” Beca tells her, handing over a second ring.  She watches Chloe do her little routine again, then make her throw.  The ring does the exact same thing and lands in between two bottles.

Beca feels her own jaw clench.  This game is totally rigged.  The bottles are too far apart and the rings are too small.  She’s ready to just cut her losses and walk away.

“You do the last one,” Chloe tells her with a smile of encouragement.

Beca picks up the ring and lazily scans the set of bottles to choose her target.  She doesn’t see much of a point, since she knows it’s just going to miss anyway.  She must not have been meant to win Chloe that koala.

After releasing a breath, she carelessly tosses the ring and it bounces off the gold one she had been aiming for.  She lets out a huff of frustration, but her heart skips a beat when it wraps around one of the green bottles nearby.

“Yes, Becs!  You got one!” Chloe squeals wrapping her arms around her and giving her a quick squeeze.

Beca doesn’t even consider giving up at this point.  Not when Chloe is looking at her like  _that_.  She quickly hands the attendant another five.  

“You need three more green bottles or one green bottle and one gold,” the attendant informs her.

“Got it.”  She hands Chloe two rings, signaling for her to go first. 

Chloe tosses it and it lands in between two bottles again.  “Okay, I totes suck at this.”  She hands her last ring to Beca.  “It’s all you, Becs.  I’m just wasting them.”

Beca accepts the ring, then gives it a toss.  It bounces off the rim of a green one and falls between two bottles.  “Fuuuuck,” she groans.

“You can do it, Becs.  I believe in you,” Chloe says with a bright smile, eliciting one from Beca in return.

Beca brings her gaze back to the bottles and aims for one of the green ones.  She tosses her ring, which misses and lands around a red one.  “Crap.”

“That’s still good,” the game attendant tells her.  “Two reds equal one green.”

Beca throws the last ring and of course it misses.  Because she can’t be _that_ lucky.  She buys four more rings and makes another red bottle, but quickly loses her flow.  Two games after that, she’s practically seething.

“Give me four more,” she grumbles, handing the attendant another five.

“Beca, really it’s fine.  I don’t need it,” Chloe tells her.

No, it’s not fine.  She needs to win Chloe that damn koala.  She’s so fucking close.  She just needs two more green bottles or one gold one.  She can totally do that.

“I’ve almost got it,” she assures her best friend, then throws a ring that bounces off the edge of a bottle.  “Dammit!”  She ignores the dirty looks nearby parents are shooting her.  With growing frustration, she throws the other three rings, missing each time.

She gives an annoyed huff and looks at the attendant.  “Alright, dude, can I just pay you for it?”

“What are you guys up to?” 

Beca turns to see Matt and Jesse, who seem to appear out of nowhere.

“Beca’s trying to win me the koala.”

“I’m surprised none of the bottles are broken,” Jesse teases.  “Our Beca has zero patience.”  This earns him a shove in return.

“How many more do you need?” Matt asks, eyeing the bottles.

“Two green ones or one gold one,” Chloe answers.

Matt pulls out his wallet and hands the attendant a five.  After the man gives him the rings, he picks one up, aims, then tosses it.  It misses. “Okay, that was a warmup.”

He tosses another one.  It makes a clinking noise as it wraps around a green bottle.  

“Oh my god, baby, how did you do that?” Chloe asks in amazement.

“I played a lot of horseshoes growing up,” Matt explains.  He hands Chloe a ring, then gets behind her and holds it with her.  “It’s all in the wrist.”  With him guiding her hand, they toss it.  Clink!  It wraps around another green bottle.  Chloe squeals in excitement.

Matt then quickly tosses the last ring, easily making a red bottle.  “Can we get the purple koala please?” he asks the attendant.

The attendant takes the koala off the hook and hands it to Chloe, who is bouncing up and down like a little kid.  Her smile could blind someone.

Beca’s kind of bummed.  She’s not sure why, though.  Sure, _she_ may not have ultimately gotten Chloe the koala, but she still got to see her smile, and that was the whole point, right?

Chloe hugs the koala to her chest, then turns to Matt, beaming.  “Thank you, baby.”  She kisses him, then looks to Beca.  “And thank you, Becs.”  She bends down and kisses her on the cheek.  “You’re the sweetest.”

Beca feels her cheeks turn a little pink and she prays nobody notices.

“You made another ring, so you can get anything from this row,” the attendant reminds Matt and points to a shelf with cheap, tiny stuffed animals on it.

Chloe and Matt scan the options, both crinkling their noses in disgust.

“Forget that shelf.  What prize do you want, Beca?  You can pick anything,” Matt says as he fishes another five out of his pocket.

“Oh, I –” Beca trips over her words, flustered, “I don’t need one.”  She didn’t really want a prize, she had just wanted to win Chloe one.

“Screw that.  Get her the cat,” Chloe orders Matt, pointing to an orange cat with blue eyes and a dorky smile hanging above them.

Almost effortlessly, Matt throws his rings.  Beca can’t help but notice that Chloe is staring at him with heart eyes the whole time, and she wraps her arms around him when he makes the final bottle.

The attendant plucks the cat from the shelf and hands it to Beca, who gives Matt a quick thank you.

“Aw, it’s so cute,” Chloe squeals, inspecting the cat.

Beca holds it up next to her as she makes a realization.  “It kinda looks like you.”

“Why do you think I picked it?” Chloe smirks.

“You’re such a dork.”

“Who wants dinner?” Jesse announces.  “I’m starving!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one is a little short. It was actually the end of the last chapter, but the whole thing was getting too long so I decided to just split it. Also, there are minor spoilers from the movie Inside Out! I tried my best not to give away the plot, but I just wanted to warn you guys anyway.
> 
> I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm going back to college next week. I'm going to try to get one more chapter in before I leave, but after that, updates will probably be a lot less frequent. I WILL keep writing though, even if it takes forever to update!
> 
> Enjoy!

Later that evening, the group parades back into the house.  Beca releases a sigh as she plops into one of the chairs in the kitchen.  Today wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would be - and she actually did have a little fun - but it was definitely exhausting.

“We’re going to go shower,” Chloe announces as she takes Matt’s hand and flashes Beca a smirk.  “Wanna join us, Becs?”

Jesse can’t hold in his laughter as Beca’s cheeks take on their automatic shade of pink.

“Dude, seriously?  That’s twice in twelve hours!” Beca exclaims.

“Aw, I missed the first one?” Jesse complains.

“I’m a little confused...” Matt says.

“It’s an inside joke from Barden.  Long story,” Chloe tells him.

Matt drops it and shakes Jesse’s hand again, except this time it’s more of a bro shake.  “It was nice meeting you, man,” he says with a smile.

“You, too.  Maybe if I stay on Beca’s good side she’ll invite me over again before you leave.”

“You _not_ pissing me off?” Beca scoffs.  “Unlikely.”

Jesse rolls his eyes, then gives Chloe a hug.  “Later, Chloe.”

“Goodnight, Jesse.  Thanks for joining us!”  Chloe then grabs Matt’s hand again.  “Last call, Beca,” she teases with a wink as she backs towards the stairs.

“Oh my god!  Just–” Beca feels her cheeks turn even more pink and she waves her best friend away.  “Just go upstairs, Beale!”

Cackling, Chloe pulls Matt out of the kitchen.

Once Beca hears their feet on the stairs, she looks to Jesse.  “You leaving or are you hanging out for a little bit?”

His wide smile answers her question.  Rolling her eyes, Beca rises from her seat and crosses to the fridge.  She grabs two waters and tosses one to him.

“Today was fun,” Jesse begins as he takes a seat at the kitchen island and catches the water bottle.  “Not nearly as painful as you made it sound like it would be.”

“I’ve never hung out with them before.  I didn’t know what to expect,” Beca says as she sits back down.  “What do you think of Matt?”  It comes out less casual than she had intended.

“I knew there was a reason you asked if I wanted to stay for a bit!” Jesse teases, getting another eye roll in response.  “Sounds like somebody is getting a little protective.”

“No, it’s not– I just–” After releasing a frustrated breath, Beca takes a moment to form her words.  “You’ve talked to him more than I have, and I just want to know what you think.”  Her eyes find her lap.  “I trust your opinion.”

“Aw, Bec, I knew you liked me!” 

“Shut up!”

After shooting her one last smile, Jesse gives in and becomes serious, knowing how important this is to his friend.  “He’s a good dude.  And I think he’s good for Chloe.  He cares about his job, his family...He’s not afraid to be himself...”  He pauses to read her expression, and he must be able to tell that this hasn’t won her over.  “It looks like he really loves her.  I mean, did you see the way he was looking at her all day?”

Oh yeah.  Beca saw.  And she didn’t fail to notice the way Chloe was looking back at him.

“Don’t worry, Bec.  Your aca-wife is in good hands.”

“She wants him to move here,” Beca says after a moment of silence as she plays with the label on her water bottle.  “Not now, obviously, but eventually...”

“I think once you get to know him a little better, you’ll really like him.  I mean, I wouldn’t mind having him around.  As much as I love you and Chloe, it would be nice to get some more testosterone up in here.”

It’s not that Beca doesn’t like Matt.  Actually, he seems like a decent guy and he _does_ treat Chloe well.  But him moving here would change everything.  Beca loves living with her best friend and getting to hang out with her all the time.  She likes that she can just walk a few feet down the hallway and see that bright smile.  If Matt moves to LA, she wouldn’t get to see that smile everyday.  She wouldn’t get those lazy Sunday afternoons of cuddling and watching Netflix or the spontaneous duets (none of which take place in the bathroom, thank god).  She would no longer have that constant warm fuzzy feeling she gets when Chloe is around.  She’s not ready to lose all of that.  She might not ever be.

“Yeah.  Maybe.”  Or maybe not.

 

* * *

 

Beca wakes up the next to morning to see the bright sun streaming in through her blinds.  She feels surprisingly well-rested and opts to get out of bed, even though it’s well before noon.  

She heads downstairs and finds the kitchen empty.  No Chloe and Matt.  Figuring they might be sitting outside, Beca makes herself a quick cup of coffee and heads to the sliding glass door that leads to the deck.

She is surprised when she only sees Matt sitting out there, reading something on his phone.  She slides the door open and steps outside, thinking maybe Chloe is in the bathroom or something. 

“Hey,” she greets.

Matt looks up from his phone and puts on a smile.  “Good morning.”

“No Chloe?”

“She’s still asleep.  I think yesterday kind of wore her out.”

Beca bites back a smirk.  Well, well, well...look who’s sleeping in now.  She is so gonna give Chloe shit for this later.  “Yeah.  Well, I’m just gonna...”  She points at the door behind her and moves to back away.

“No, stay.  I don’t mind the company,” Matt says as he slips his phone into his pocket.

Shit.  This situation has awkward written all over it.  It’s not that she’s completely opposed to sitting with him, but they’ve never been alone together before.  What is she supposed to talk to him about?

Forcing her legs to move forward, she sits in the cushioned chair next to him.

“Did she buy you that?” he asks after a moment of silence.

Beca follows his gaze to her coffee mug and she can’t help but smile to herself.  It has a cartoon version of Grumpy Cat on it, along with the words “I woke up like this.”  Chloe got it for her as a Christmas present the year after they moved into the Bella house.  The Bellas practically howled with laughter when she drank her coffee out of it the next morning, claiming it was a spitting image of her when she first woke up.

“How’d you know?” she asks jokingly.

“It has that Chloe touch.”

Beca knows what he’s talking about.  It’s funny and it’s cheesy, just like her favorite redhead.

“Yeah, she got it for me when we lived together at Barden,” Beca tells him.  “She gives the best gifts.  You just have to accept the fact that you’ll always be put to shame on holidays.”

“Ugh, tell me about it!" Matt complains with a smile.  "It’s so frustrating!  No matter how hard I try, she always one-ups me!  Like, why does she have to be so damn thoughtful?  And why does she have to know me so well?  I don’t know how she does it.”

He's right.  Chloe has this way about her - more like a superpower or something.  She just sees people in a way that nobody else can.  It blows Beca's mind how the redhead can connect with literally anyone and how she manages to learn so much about people in such a short period of time.  It's one of the many things she loves about her best friend.

“Yeah, she’s great,” Beca hums before bringing the mug to her lips.

“Thank you for taking care of her.”

Beca’s eyes shoot up to meet his.  She’s kind of surprised by the comment.  “She can take care of herself,” she points out.

“No, I know.  Sorry, that made me sound like an ass.  I’m just kind of old-fashioned when it comes to that stuff.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m glad she has such a great person looking out for her.”

Beca gives him a tight smile.  She’s not really sure what to say, so she stays quiet.

“You know, she’s always beaming when she talks about you,” he continues. 

She raises an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.  “Really?”

“Yeah.  You make her really happy.  It means a lot to me.”

Beca smiles to herself as she thinks of the way Chloe simply glows with excitement when she talks about something she loves.  Her smiles widens at the thought of herself being the cause of it.

“You make her happy, too, you know,” she tells Matt.  “She really loves you.”

Matt's face lights up.  “I’m glad.  I love her, too, and I don’t plan on letting her go.  She’s something special.”

_Yeah.  She is._

“I guess we’re both lucky to have her,” he decides.

Beca gives him a warm smile before sipping her coffee again.

Shit.  She kind of likes this guy.

 

* * *

 

The next few days quickly fly by and all of a sudden, Matt’s visit comes to an end.  Beca is pleased that she lasted the whole five days without vomiting over the couple’s constant touching.  She's even more pleased that things will finally go back to normal.

She declines Chloe’s invitation to join them on their drive to the airport, knowing it will be better for them to say their painful goodbye alone.  It doesn’t mean she isn’t a worried wreck that morning, though.  She knows Chloe is going to be heartbroken, and heartbroken Chloe is, like, the worst thing ever.  And the worst part?  There’s nothing Beca can do to fix it.

She tries to get her mind off of it by working on one of her mixes.  If she has something new to play for Chloe when she gets home, maybe it’ll make her best friend feel a little better.

She quickly gets absorbed in the music and it’s not until her back starts to get stiff from sitting in the same position for so long that she looks at the clock.  Fuck!  Has it really been two hours?  She hasn’t even heard Chloe come home yet.  And wouldn't Chloe have at least popped her head in to greet her?

Suddenly worried, she rises from her seat and walks down the hallway towards the redhead’s room.  “Chloe?” she calls.  There’s no answer.  “Chlo?” she calls again as she slowly opens her best friend’s door, which is already open a crack.

Chloe is sitting on her bed, hugging her knees, with tears streaming down her cheeks.  The sight breaks Beca’s heart.  She instantly rushes to her best friend’s side and puts a comforting arm around her.  Chloe rests her head on Beca’s shoulder, but remains silent.

Beca stays quiet, too.  She knows there’s nothing she can say to make it better.  So she just sits there, holding her best friend, and lets her cry.

“This sucks,” Chloe finally says as the tears start to lighten.

“I know.”

“I knew it was going to hurt, but I didn’t think it would feel like this,” Chloe admits as she tries and fails to keep her voice steady.  Beca gently strokes her arm.  “Is this what it’s going to be like from now on?”

“I think it’s always going to hurt, but it will get a little better over time, ya know?  I mean, right now you’re just a sitting duck with nothing to do but think about him.  But soon you’re going to be at school all the time and grading papers and stuff, so you’ll have some distractions.”

“I hope you’re right,” Chloe sniffles.

“Pshh, of course I’m right.  I’m Beca Effin’ Mitchell.”  Beca had expected it to make Chloe smile, or at least roll her eyes, but the redhead does neither.  She’s going to have to kick it up a notch.  “Would a movie make you feel better?”  Chloe finally brings her eyes to meet Beca’s, probably surprised that she would even suggest that.  Beca smiles at her victory.  “You can pick.”

She watches Chloe’s expression change.  It’s not a smile, but not a frown either.  She’ll take it.

After considering it for a moment, Chloe wipes away her tears and nods.

They move to the living room and Chloe sets up the movie on Beca’s laptop while Beca grabs a blanket.  They snuggle together on the couch and Beca smiles when she sees that Chloe has chosen to watch Inside Out.  This movie is actually tolerable.

As Joy happily begins creating memory orbs, Beca moves her eyes from the TV screen to Chloe, then back to the screen, then to Chloe again.

“What?” Chloe asks.

Beca looks to the TV screen again.  “I see no difference.  Except her hair is blue and yours is red.”

For the first time since she dropped off Matt, Chloe smiles.  It doesn’t have its usual brightness, but it’s still a smile and Beca is pretty proud of herself.  Less than five minutes into this movie and Chloe is already looking happier.

They return to watching the movie until Anger appears on screen for the first time.

_“Wait.  Did he just say we couldn’t have dessert?”_

Chloe turns to Beca, and she actually releases a giggle.  “That’s you.”

Beca raises an eyebrow.  “Seriously?  I’m Anger?”  

Chloe nods.  “You can have quite the temper sometimes.”  She playfully taps Beca on the nose.

“Says the ginger.”

“ _Oh, sure, we’ll eat our dinner, right after you eat THIS!”_

Beca watches Anger’s head catch on fire during his little fit of rage.  “You know what?  You’re right,” she decides.  “I do that when you take my PopTarts away.”

“Told you.”

Beca rolls her eyes, but she can’t hide her smile.  To her relief, Chloe is looking much more like her normal self now.

They keep watching the movie in silence until they reach the part where Bing Bong’s rocket gets thrown into the dump.

_“It’s all I had left of Riley."_

Beca feels Chloe readjust her position as Bing Bong begins to cry on screen.

“Becs?” she asks quietly.

"Hm?"

"Do you believe that if two people are truly meant to be together, they will be?  No matter how complicated it is?”

Beca thinks it over for a moment.  She’s not one to believe in fate or soulmates or any of that crap.  That’s just the kind of shit people say when they’re high off of love.  But deep down - like, _way_ deep down - there’s a little part of her that believes that when two people love each other, something inside of them will fight to be together, no matter how bad the obstacles are.  “Yeah.  I think I do,” she answers.  She feels Chloe’s body relax against hers.  “It’s all gonna work out, Chlo.  Promise.”

Chloe nuzzles into the crook of Beca’s neck.  “I’m really glad I have you, Beca,” she hums.  

Beca rests her head on top of Chloe’s and takes in the familiar lavender scent of her shampoo.

She can’t help but think that Matt was right.  She is lucky to have Chloe.  And she really hopes that her luck doesn’t run out anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, who's ready to kick things up a notch?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your patience has finally paid off!

Beca was right about the whole long distance thing.  It did get better over time.  Well, it’s still hard, but now that Chloe has school as a distraction, it’s a little easier.

Boy, does Chloe love working at that school!  Her colleagues are great, her class is full of adorable little performers, and they remind her everyday that moving to LA was the right decision.  Well, them and Beca, of course.

She _loves_ living with Beca, and it’s even better than she had imagined.  It’s been about two months - Halloween is next week already - and she has enjoyed every second of it.  If she were the bragging type, she’d call up Aubrey and give her a loud “I told you so.”  But she _isn’t_ the bragging type, so she just tells Aubrey how happy she is with her decision every time they Facetime.

Chloe pulls into the driveway and puts her car in park.  She leans back into her seat with a sigh and wipes away her tears.  Yeah, she loves living in LA, but she still has a bad day every once in awhile.  Like today...today was just horrible.  She’s surprised she managed to hold her tears in until she reached her car in the school parking lot.  But she did, and she let them fall the entire ride home.

She grabs her phone out of her purse and pulls up Matt’s contact.  After pressing the call button, she brings the phone to her ear and listens to it ring.

_“Hi, you’ve reached Matt Montgomery.  I am unable to come to the phone right now -”_

Chloe sighs again.  This is the third time she has tried to call him and the third time she has gotten his voicemail.  She swallows away the lump in her throat and hangs up, opting to send him a text instead of leaving a voicemail.

_Out with the guys?  When you get home call meee!  I miss you xo_

She throws her phone back into her purse, grabs her keys, and heads inside.

“She’s finally home!” she hears Beca announce to the empty living room, and she raises an eyebrow in surprise.  Beca’s home early.  Things must have been quiet at the studio this afternoon.  “I hope you don’t mind, I’ve taken the liberty of ordering pizza.  It should be here soon.”

“Kay,” Chloe says as she sticks her head into the living room and puts her bag down.

She must sound off, based on what Beca asks next.

“You good?”

Chloe feels her nose start to run from the tears and she sniffles.  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Beca places her laptop onto the coffee table and leans forward on the couch to get a better look at her.  “Are you crying?”

Chloe can’t lie.  Not to Beca.  “I was.”

Beca sits up straighter, clearly concerned.  “What happened?”

“My day was just really sucky,” Chloe tells her as she plops onto the couch next to her.

Beca adjusts her position so she can face her.  “Wanna tell me about it?”

Chloe doesn’t want to burden her best friend with her problems, especially since she’s finally at home and relaxing for once, but those welcoming steely blue eyes pull the words right out of her.  “Austin’s dad called today and pretty much flipped out on me.  I guess Austin isn’t developing as quickly as he would like.”

“What?  That’s ridiculous.”

“I mean, it’s a valid concern.  Parents are allowed to worry about their kids.  But he’s kind of being unrealistic.  Austin is fine.  It just takes him a little longer to grasp certain things than some of the other students.  Personally, I think it’s a little early in the year to be worrying about him.  But his dad is pissed and he’s blaming me for everything.  He basically told me I was a shitty teacher.”

“That’s bullshit!  Please tell me you didn’t believe one word that asshole said.”

Chloe’s eyes find her lap.  She knows she’s not a shitty teacher, but it doesn’t mean that his words don’t hurt.

“Chloe.”

“I know he was just talking out of frustration.  But he threatened to get the principal involved, Bec.”

“Dude, I’m sure your principal is smart enough to know that it’s not your fault.  She’ll totally back you up on this.”

“I don’t know.  I got called into her office today and she wasn’t happy.”

“For what?”

“I missed a staff meeting because I was on the phone with Austin’s dad for so long.”  Fresh tears pool in Chloe's eyes and she feels like she’s suffocating.  She can’t hold them in.  “Just everything is going wrong and Matt’s not answering my calls and I really need him right now and I just want this day to be over.”

That’s probably the worst part.  The one person who she really wants to talk to - the one person who has been through the same thing and will know exactly how to talk her down - is not there to do so.

Chloe is finally starting to learn what a true long distance relationship is like.  The first few weeks after she moved here were a cakewalk compared to now.  Now that school has started for both of them, they have been a lot busier and communication has become more difficult.  She has learned to get used to the unanswered phone calls and the delayed responses to her texts.  She gets it.  Matt has a life and he’s allowed to live it.  And being a teacher can be extremely time consuming.  It’s nobody’s fault.  She knows she just has to accept the fact that he won’t always be there, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he physically can’t.  They’re both still trying and that’s all that matters.  But it doesn’t make it any less hard.

Beca pulls Chloe into her arms and Chloe automatically nuzzles her head into her neck, allowing comfort to wash over her.  She feels hands gently run through her hair.

“I’m sorry you had such a crappy day.  But tomorrow is gonna be better,” Beca states.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m Beca Effin’ Mitchell and I said so.”

Chloe feels herself come close to a smile for the first time in hours.  How'd she get so lucky to live with such an amazing person?

“Well, it’s Friday...How about we go to Cobalt after we eat?” Beca suggests after a moment.  “Wanna do that?  We’ll take an Uber so we can both drink and have a good time.”

“Okay.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rings.

Beca springs from her spot on the couch and runs in the direction of the door.  “Pizzaaaaaaaaa!”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, ladies,” Benny greets with a smile.  “What can I get for you?”

“Chloe had a shitty day.  Hook her up," Beca commands over the pulsing music.

“Say no more.”  He disappears and comes back a minute later with two drinks in his hands.  He hands Beca a rum and coke and places a dirty shirley temple in front of Chloe.  “This will make it all better, babe,” he tells Chloe with a wink.  “Drink up!”

After she downs that drink, and a couple more, Chloe begins to forget about her shitty day and Matt, and she does in fact feel much better.  Although, the drinks are only part of it.  Just sitting here, talking and laughing with Beca, that’s all she really needs.  Because nobody makes her smile quite like Beca Mitchell does.  It's a well-known fact.

“I seriously never told you that story before?” Beca asks incredulously.

“Becs, I think I’d remember you telling me that one of your artists peed their pants once,” Chloe points out with a laugh.

“I’m still scarred by that.”

“ _You’re_ scarred?  What about the poor guy?”

“You’re right," Beca agrees as she takes another swig of her drink.  "He was actually a really sweet dude.  He just didn’t have what it took to be successful in the industry.  He was too soft.”

Benny appears and slides two shots towards them.  “You’re going to want these,” he tells Beca, the smile no longer on his face.

“Why?” Beca asks cautiously.

“Natalie just walked in.”

Chloe watches Beca’s eyes widen.

“You’re kidding.”

“And she has a chick with her.  Sorry.”  With that, Benny heads over to serve a customer on the other side of the bar.

With a sigh, Beca picks up her shot.  “Well, bottoms up.”  She tosses it back, then slams the empty glass on the table.

Chloe thinks twice about asking what this is all about.  It kind of looks like Beca doesn’t want to talk about it.  But she can’t take the way the tiny brunette’s whole demeanor has instantly changed.  Her smile is gone and her eyes keep scanning the room nervously.  So Chloe can’t keep her mouth shut any longer.

“Becs, are you okay?” she asks, attempting to start off slow.  In her experience, that’s what gets the best results.

“Sure,” Beca answers.  

She’s clearly not.  Her leg is shaking and she's tapping her fingers on the bar surface.

“Who’s Natalie?” Chloe asks gently.

Beca runs her hands through her hair before she starts speaking.  “She was, uh...she was the first girl I had ever been with.  I...”  Chloe sees her swallow away the lump in her throat.  “I actually fell kinda hard for her, and things were kinda serious.”

“What happened?”

“She ended it.  She couldn’t handle how demanding my job is.  Said my work was more of my girlfriend than she was.”  Beca lets out a light laugh, trying to hide the hurt.  Then, her face becomes serious, and she quickly adds, “I didn’t, like, neglect her or anything.  She just wanted more time than I could afford to give.”

Chloe’s heart breaks at the thought of how much this bitch must have hurt her best friend.  How hard it must have been for Beca to be asked to choose between her job and the first woman she was with.  And how she had to do it all without Chloe there to cheer her up. 

Well, better late than never, right?

“Of course you didn’t neglect her!  You’re way too caring to do that,” she tells Beca, gently rubbing her arm.  She watches her best friend’s face brighten a little.  “It’s like you said.  She couldn’t handle it.  And personally, I think that if she can’t accept your job, she doesn’t deserve you.”

“Thanks," Beca says with a tight smile.  "That doesn’t make it suck any less, though.”

“I know.”  Chloe scans the bar for her favorite bartender.  “Hey, Benny!” she calls.  She downs her shot as he approaches and places the empty glass in front of him.  “Two more, please.”  She turns to Beca with a wide smile.  “We are _so_ getting drunk tonight.”

 

* * *

 

After a few more rounds of shots and some more talking and laughing, Beca is looking significantly better. 

Chloe is really starting to feel the alcohol kicking in now.  Her chest feels warm, her skin is tingly, and she feels like she’s floating.  By the look of the drunken smile on Beca’s lips, the tiny brunette is feeling the same effects, and Chloe can’t help but feel relieved.

Until Beca suddenly drops her smile.  “Fuck.”

“What?” Chloe asks, noticing that Beca is staring at something behind her.

“Out of all of bars in this club, she has to pick this one to sit at.”

Chloe turns to look at all of the people around the bar, instantly deciding that if this bitch comes near them, she’ll show them what a true ginger temper looks like.  “Which one is she?”

Beca nods in Natalie’s direction.  “Dark hair.  Pretty blue eyes.  Probably smiling because she’s _always_ smiling.  She’s in the black tank top.”

Chloe quickly spots her.  Wow.  She’s _really_ pretty.  And her smile is just...wow.  Like, she's giving Chloe a run for her money.  Way to go, Becs!

Actually, now that Chloe thinks about it, she did see Beca tagged in a few pictures with this girl on various social media accounts.  Guess they really were serious.  She makes a mental note to stalk the shit out of this chick online tomorrow.

Natalie sits on a stool and a hot blonde with thick-framed glasses sits next to her, instantly grabbing her hand.

Chloe looks to Beca, whose eyes are glued to the couple.  “You gonna be okay?” she asks.  “We can leave if you want.”

Beca brings her gaze back to Chloe and shrugs it off.  “No, I’ll be fine.  I just wish she wasn’t here with a pretty girl, ya know?”

Chloe scoffs.  “Excuse me, you’re here with a pretty girl, too.”

“Yeah, but we’re not like that.”

“She doesn’t know that.”  Chloe’s eyes glow as she stands and tugs at Beca’s hand.  “Come on.  Let’s make her jealous.”  But Beca doesn’t budge.  She just eyes the dance floor warily.  “It’s just dancing, Beca.”

Beca considers it for a moment, then throws back another shot.  “Alright, let’s do it.”  She lets Chloe excitedly pull her away from the bar.

They make their way into the crowd of dancing people, but remain far enough towards the edge that Natalie and her date can see them from their spot at the bar.

Chloe notices Beca staring at them and uses her hand to guide Beca’s face to look at her.  “Don’t stare at her.  I’m your girl now.”  After taking a step closer to the tiny brunette to make the distance between them less platonic, she takes Beca’s arms and guides them to drape around her neck.  Chloe can feel how stiff Beca’s body is, despite how drunk she is.  “Do you trust me?”

Beca seems to study her face for a moment, then gives a quiet, “Yeah.”

Chloe gently places her hands on Beca’s hips and begins moving to the beat of the song.  Beca moves with her, but it’s stiff and awkward, as if they’re at a middle school dance or something.

“Is that all you got Becs?” Chloe calls over the music as she teasingly brushes her body against Beca’s for a second.  “Come on, you have to seduce me!”

That seems to do the trick.  Chloe sees Beca’s eyes fill with determination and they take on that familiar glow of amusement.  “You think you can handle it?” the tiny brunette challenges.

“Totes.”

As a smirk creeps onto Beca’s lips, she brushes her body against Chloe’s, then pulls away and jokingly drops it low, just like she used to do at the Bella parties.

Chloe can’t help but throw her head back and laugh.  She’s forgotten how much she loves drunk Beca.

They playfully dance some more as the last round of shots starts to hit them.  Beca has definitely loosened up since they began dancing, and she even appears to be enjoying herself.  Chloe has to fight the urge to pull Beca flush against her the whole time.  

Chloe steals a quick glance at Natalie and her date, and she is surprised to see Natalie staring back at her.  "Guess what," she tells Beca, who has returned to draping her arms around Chloe.

"What?"

"It's working.  She's totally watching us right now."

Knowing better than to look for herself and ruin their cover, Beca just smiles.  "Must be because I'm so seductive."

Chloe rolls her eyes with a smile on her lips, and they continue to dance and put on their little show.

A few minutes later, Chloe is busy melting at the sight of Beca’s drunken smile when said smile is suddenly replaced with a frown.  She turns to see the cause and realizes that Natalie and her date have migrated to the dance floor and are unknowingly giving them a run for their money.

Chloe feels her heart pound as more adrenaline starts pumping.  She needs get that smile back on Beca’s face.  Now.  She looks back at the tiny brunette.  “Still trust me?” she asks.

“Yeah.”

Chloe gently lifts Beca’s arms from around her neck, only to get a look of confusion.  After shooting Beca a seductive smirk, she turns around and backs herself right into her small torso.  She places Beca’s hands onto her hips and resumes dancing, this time shamelessly kicking the sex appeal up a notch.  

After a minute or so, she feels Beca start to move her hands, running them over her stomach and around her waist.  She has to try really hard to keep her breathing steady.  Sure, they have danced together before at Barden, but never like this.  And Beca really knows what she’s doing.  Fuck, she’s a really good dancer when she puts her mind to it.  Where the hell was this during all of those drunken Bella parties?

After awhile, Chloe finally pulls away.  She can’t help but smile at the look of confusion on Beca’s face.

“Why’d you stop?” the tiny brunette asks.

“I need another drink.  Some water might be nice, too.  It’s hot in here.”

She grabs Beca’s hand and pulls her back to the bar.  Benny greets them with more shots, and they instantly down them.

After a few minutes, a glass of water, and a second shot, Chloe notices Beca staring at her with a drunken smile on her lips.  From the look of things, she is no longer worrying about Natalie.

“What?” Chloe asks.

“You’re smile is sooo pretty,” Beca slurs.

“Why thank you,” Chloe giggles, grabbing the side of the bar to steady herself.  “You have a pretty smile, too, you know.”

“I don’t smile a lot,” Beca points out.

“I know.  But that’s what makes it so special.”  Chloe playfully pokes her in the cheek, getting one of those special smiles in return.

“You always make me smile, though,” Beca says before her eyebrows furrow in confusion.  “How do you do that?”

Chloe winks at her.  “Must be a superpower.”  She takes a last swig of her water and grabs Beca’s hand, pulling her back in the direction of the dancing crowd.  She throws on a seductive smirk.  “Come on.  I’m not done with you.”

They go back to dancing and this time, Beca seems to be even more into it.  In fact, she appears to be taking the whole seduction tip more seriously as she voluntarily moves closer to Chloe and dances with her not-so-platonically.  Her hands even start to travel lower than they should, which is pretty dangerous, because all it does is make Chloe want to give her a run for her money.

Somehow, she and Beca wind up flush against each other as they continue dancing.  She has her arms lazily draped around Beca’s shoulders and Beca has her hands on her hips, pulling her even closer as they grind up against each other.

Beca is smiling at her and Chloe feels like she’s on Cloud 9.  Everything else around her is a blur.  Right now, it’s just that smile, a pair of steely blue eyes, and Beca’s body against hers.

Chloe doesn’t remember leaning in to get that close to her, but she realizes that their faces are millimeters apart.  She can practically feel Beca’s breath on her face.  She sees Beca’s eyes drop to her lips and she feels like she is about to explode.  It takes everything she has not to close the small distance left between them and finally taste those lips after years of waiting.  But she knows she can’t, no matter how much she wants to.

That’s when Beca does it.  Just leans in and gently captures Chloe’s lips in her own.  And it feels like...like releasing a breath after holding it in for a long time.  It feels...right.  That’s the only way she can describe it.

Beca starts to pull away, but Chloe’s desire gets the best of her and she chases Beca’s lips, pulling her into another kiss.  She is elated to see that Beca doesn’t seem to mind.  In fact, she deepens the kiss and it makes the hair on the back of Chloe’s neck stand on end.  Because Beca is a _really_ good kisser.

However, they eventually need to come up for air.

“Fuck,” Beca whispers breathlessly as she touches her own lips. 

Chloe panics for a second.  Has she just ruined everything?  Is this iconic moment doomed to be this short?  But then Beca looks up at her with a smirk, and Chloe knows the tiny brunette definitely enjoyed what they just did. 

“Just dancing, huh?  Is that, like, your line to get all the girls?” Beca teases.

Chloe grins.   _Thank god_.  “Nope.”  She playfully bumps their foreheads together.  “Just this one.”

Beca lets out a giggle, shakes her head, then pulls her back in for another kiss.  Chloe feels hands tangle in her hair as she deepens the kiss, and her own hands shamelessly start to travel everywhere they can.  She's even bold enough to slip her hands under Beca’s shirt and allows her fingers to gently glide up and down her ribcage.  Because right now, Beca is hers and only hers.

They go at it for Chloe doesn’t even know how long, and she doesn’t really care.  She could do this forever.

Beca finally pulls away again.  “Let’s go home,” she suggests with a smile.

Chloe nods and they walk to a less busy area of the club.  She watches Beca clumsily try to type her password into her phone.  After she fails a second time, Chloe touches her hand.  “Let me.”

To her surprise, as she takes out her own phone and pulls up the Uber app, she feels a hand behind her pull her hair to the side and lips suddenly begin working on her neck.  It takes her a little longer than usual to type the address into the app.  Not that she cares.  If Beca is going to keep kissing her like _that,_ she has all the time in the world.

After putting the phone away, she turns around to face Beca and lets their lips collide one more time before pulling away again.

She giggles at Beca’s groan of protest.  “Come on.  The car will be here in five.”

 

* * *

 

She had expected it all to stop after that.  Beca is shy when it comes to PDA, even when she’s drunk.  She would never make out with somebody in public – excluding dark clubs, of course.  So it kind of catches Chloe off guard when Beca decides to push her up against the wall of a building and continue kissing her as they wait at the street corner for the Uber to arrive.  Not that she minds.  It’s actually kind of hot the way Beca is taking control like this.

To Chloe’s disappointment, the car arrives and the kissing comes to a stop.  They slide into the back seat, put on their seatbelts, and confirm the address with the driver.  

Chloe steals a glance at Beca as the car pulls away, and to her confusion, she can’t for the life of her read her best friend’s expression.  Beca is just staring out the window peacefully.  Chloe doesn’t know if that’s good or bad.

She directs her gaze to her own window.  She may be drunk, but the alcohol is doing nothing to keep her mind from racing.  Is this it?  Is the mood killed?  Are they just going to go home and get ready for bed like normal?  Because Chloe really doesn’t want to do that.  She wants to take Beca to her bedroom and make up for all those years of kissing her that she has missed.

And what about Beca?  Does she realize what they are doing, or is she just _that_ drunk?  Is it suddenly going to hit her during this silent car ride that she’s hooking up with her best friend?  Is she going to freak out?  Because that is totes something she would do in this situation.

The thought that their kiss on the street corner could be the last absolutely terrifies Chloe.  Suddenly overcome with the need to be close to Beca, she reaches across the seat and takes her hand.  Beca accepts it with a smile and comfortingly brushes her thumb over the top of it.

After another painful few minutes, the car reaches their house.  Chloe is pleasantly surprised when Beca grabs her hand again after she gets out of the car, only dropping it once they reach the front door.  Maybe that kiss on the street corner wasn’t the end.  Here’s hoping, anyway.

“My god, that guy could not have driven any slower!” Beca finally complains as she slides her key into the lock.

Chloe breathes a sigh of relief.  “Somewhere you need to be?” she asks with a smirk as she enters the house.

“Yes, actually.” Beca closes the door behind them, throws her keys onto the little table in the hallway, then grabs Chloe’s hips and pulls her into another kiss.  “Thanks for reminding me.”

Chloe’s heart flutters in her chest as Beca shoves her tongue into her mouth.  It looks like whatever they’re doing isn’t over, and she’s so happy she could pass out.  Except she wouldn’t dare do that and miss whatever comes next.

After another few moments, Beca pulls away, the drunken smile still plastered onto her face.  “I’m gonna take you upstairs.”

“Are you?” Chloe asks with a smirk.

Beca nods.  “Mhm.”  

Chloe eyes the staircase.  “You sure you can make it?”

Beca warily eyes the staircase.  “Maybe you’re right.”  She flashes Chloe a hopeful smile.  “Carry me?”

Chloe throws her head back and laughs, partially because she knows she’s too drunk to do so and partially because Beca asked in such an innocent tone.

“Come on,” Beca whines.  “We both know you have the biceps for it.”  She runs her hands up and down Chloe’s toned arms.

Chloe leans in with a smile and gently brushes her lips over Beca’s, but pulls away right before Beca can capture them in a kiss.  “Why do that when I can make you work for it?”  After making sure Beca is close enough to the railing to grab it, she walks - or rather drunkenly stumbles - up the stairs with a giggle.

“Chloe,” Beca groans from the bottom of the staircase.

Suddenly feeling a little wobbly herself, Chloe leans her back against the wall and waits.  “Now, are you going to come up here and take my shirt off?  Or do I have to do it myself?” she asks playfully as she begins to lift her shirt a little, revealing her stomach.  She has always loved teasing Beca and she’s super excited that she gets to take it to a whole new level right now.

The challenge seems to put Beca’s legs into action.  Chloe laughs as Beca stumbles up the stairs.  She doesn’t think she has ever seen her best friend move so fast, even sober.

Beca quickly reaches her and pulls the shirt up the rest of the way and over Chloe’s head, tossing it to the side.  She steps back and takes a moment to study the newly exposed skin up close.  Her hands gently move up Chloe’s abs.  “Dude, how are you even real?”

Chloe feels herself blush.  Yeah, she’s hot and she knows it.  But hearing it come out of Beca’s mouth is different for some reason.  It's more meaningful, somehow.  She feels like a middle schooler who just got told she was pretty for the first time.  Oh god, what is Beca doing to her?

Beca must realize that she has in fact flustered her confident best friend because she brings her hand to Chloe’s flushed cheek, then pulls her into another kiss.

As tiny hands begin exploring every inch of the new territory they just uncovered, Chloe pushes herself off of the wall and carefully guides them to Beca’s room, all while kissing her way down the tiny brunette's jaw to reach her pulse point.  She smiles when she hears Beca breathe a quiet "Jesus, Chlo."

After they enter the room, Beca surprises her by giving her a light shove onto the bed.  It’s completely un-Beca-like and Chloe is loving every second of it.  How she’s fighting for the power.  How she won’t let this be one-sided.  How she’s about to climb on top of her right now.

Beca lifts one of her knees onto the bed, but the determined expression quickly leaves her face and is replaced by one of annoyance.  “Hang on,” she grunts as she takes her knee off the bed and stands back up.  Her hand moves to the zipper on her pants.  “These things are too damn tight.”

“I disagree,” Chloe smirks as she watches the pants fall to the floor.

Beca rolls her eyes as she climbs back onto the bed and on top of Chloe, straddling her hips.  “Just kiss me, Beale.”  She doesn’t even give Chloe time to lean up before she joins their lips again in a bruising kiss.  And just like that, they pick up where they left off at Cobalt.

Chloe’s hands unconsciously tug at the hem of Beca’s shirt.  Beca realizes what Chloe wants before _she_ even does, and suddenly, the tiny brunette is pulling her own shirt up over her head and tossing it onto the floor.

Chloe doesn’t waste any time.  Her hands move to the bare skin as if they’re being pulled by magnets.  Beca is warm under her touch, and she loves the way the tiny brunette’s breathing changes depending on where her hands travel.  Oh yeah, Chloe can totes get used to this.

Beca pulls away again and just hovers above her for a moment, her gaze drinking in every inch of Chloe as she catches her breath.  Even though she wears a soft smile, her eyes are hungry.  “I wanna fuck you.”  It comes out as a slurred, gentle statement, and Chloe hears herself release a squeak because that was _really_ hot.

Her heart almost stops.  She has been waiting years to hear Beca say those words to her.  Years to see Beca staring at her with such wanting eyes.  And now it’s happening.  Beca just _told_ her she is finally going to give her what she wants.

All Chloe wants to do right now is tell Beca how much she loves her.  Yeah, that’s right.  She’s in love with Beca.  Always has been.  She’s done kidding herself.  But she uses all of her willpower to keep her mouth shut.  That’s one thing she’s gotten better at over the years, it’s thinking before she acts, at least in situations as weighted as this one.  The last thing she wants to do is scare her best friend away.

She pulls Beca down into a kiss, but it’s short-lived because Beca pulls back and starts kissing her way down her stomach, stopping at the hem of her shorts.  When she feels tiny hands quickly trying to undo the button, she lets out another involuntary squeak.  The tiny hands freeze and steely blue eyes shoot up.  

“Is this okay?”

_Oh, this is more than okay._

“Yeah,” Chloe breathes.  Beca holds her gaze for a moment, studying her expression, probably trying to make sure she means it.  “Keep going.” 

As her smile widens, Beca carefully unbuttons Chloe’s shorts and slides them down her legs, tossing them onto the floor to join her own shirt.  She then kisses her way back up Chloe’s stomach and connects their lips once again.

Chloe’s mind is whirling.  The room is spinning, and she’s pretty sure the alcohol isn’t to blame right now.  Beca is kissing her.  Beca’s hands are running up and down her body.  This is really happening.  Beca is going to fuck her.  

An alarm suddenly goes off in her head and her eyes shoot open.

 _Her_ best friend _is going to fuck her!_

“Bec –” she tries, but it quickly gets lost when Beca begins to work on her neck, and she gets particularly distracted for a minute once Beca finds her sweet spot.  Ugh, how is she so good at that?

Chloe finally brings her mind to focus and form words.  “We -”  Her sentence is interrupted by a gasp that comes out of her mouth when Beca’s hand travels down her chest and past her stomach.  “We should...st-”  The last word gets cut off as she takes a sharp intake of breath, this time because Beca’s hand is playing with the hem of her underwear, clearly trying to build up the courage to slip under it or maybe even take it off altogether.  _Fuck._ “Stop,” she finally manages and takes Beca’s hand, forcing it to remain still.  

Beca freezes and looks up at her.  “Are you okay?  Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine.  I just...”  Chloe takes a second to catch her breath before she continues.  “I think we should take a break.”

“Did I...Did I do something?”  Beca sits up, settling on Chloe's hips.

Chloe sees Beca's face fall, and she has to fight the urge to just give up and kiss that drunken smile back onto her lips.  But she knows she can’t do that.  If she does that, she won’t be able to stop again.  She breathes a laugh and rests her hands on Beca’s thighs.  “No, believe me, you were...You’re perfect.  I just...I don’t think we should go any further right now.”  The words taste like poison coming out of her mouth.

“But I wanna fuck you,” Beca playfully whines, still clearly feeling the alcohol.

Chloe’s heart melts at how cute the tiny brunette is being, and she has half a mind to just drop her resolve altogether and go all the way with Beca.  “I want you to fuck me, too,” she admits, shyly.  “But I don’t want you to regret it in the morning.”  She tucks a loose strand of hair behind Beca’s ear.  “You’re really drunk.  So am I.”

“I won’t regret it.”  

Damn, she sounds really convincing.  And those steely blue eyes are staring at her with such intensity.

“Becs, you’re my best friend.  I just don’t think we should do something this big while we’re so clouded, ya know?”

Beca releases a sigh.  “Okay...I understand.”

Chloe leans up and gives Beca a gentle kiss on the lips.  “Thank you.”

“Can you sleep here?” Beca asks shyly.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving,” Chloe answers with a smile.

 Beca then gets off of Chloe and lays next to her.  

Chloe curls into her and drapes a hand over her middle as if it’s a routine.  “Thanks for taking me out tonight, Becs.  I had a really great time,” she murmurs before nuzzling her face into Beca’s neck.

“Me, too,” Beca replies, resting her head on top of Chloe’s.  “Goodnight, Chlo.”

“Sweet dreams, Beca.”

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've finally taken a step forward! I hope I did this chapter justice. This is the first time I've ever written something like this so...Let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm so sorry that this took so long! This semester has been absolutely insane and I've barely had a moment to myself. But I promised I would keep updating, even if it took forever! 
> 
> As for our lovebirds...well, love is never easy, is it?

Chloe wakes up to see sunlight peeking through the blinds.  Except they’re not her blinds.  They’re Beca’s.  She realizes that there is in fact a body next to her and her arm is draped around it.

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion.  Normally, she wouldn’t question it.  She sleeps in Beca’s bed sometimes, it’s almost become a habit on lonely nights.  But today, it feels physically different.  It’s not a bad different, she just feels...closer to Beca?  Is that even possible?  It’s not like personal space exists when it comes to cuddling, at least in Chloe’s mind.  But right now, she feels _really_ close to Beca.  Is there usually this much skin to skin contact when they cuddle at night?

She rubs the sleep out of her eyes, and that’s when she notices that she’s only wearing a bra and underwear.  And so is Beca.

Yeah.  Last night was definitely not a dream.

Oh-em-aca-gee!  She kissed Beca!  Horizontally.  On a bed.  Half naked.  And it was mindblowlingly amazing.  She feels her cheeks heat up just from thinking about it.  She could totes get used to doing that for the rest of her life.

But of course, it’s not all up to her.

Shit.  What is Beca going to think about this?  Will she even remember it happened?  She was pretty drunk...Of course she’ll remember.  Because how could she forget something that amazing?

Chloe feels a knot in her stomach.  Fuck, what if Beca doesn’t feel the same way?  What if she was just driven by alcohol last night?  She’s totes going to freak out.  That is definitely something she would do in a situation like this.  She’ll just shut down and those walls will come back up and their friendship will be ruined. The thought makes Chloe want to break down crying.  Even if Beca doesn’t love her back, she can’t live without their friendship.  She just can’t.

She takes a breath to calm herself and reminds herself that she’s overthinking everything.  She hasn’t even interacted with Beca yet.  She doesn’t know how she feels about the whole situation, and she won’t until the tiny brunette wakes up.  All she can do is wait.

As much as she’d like to stay in bed cuddling the tiny brunette like this for the rest of the day, she opts to get up, retrieve her clothes from the floor, and start her day.  She doesn’t need Beca waking up to find herself in only a bra and underwear cuddling her best friend who is also only in a bra and underwear.  That’s the best way to send the tiny brunette running for the hills in a panic.

As the warm water from the shower soothes her, Chloe decides her best bet is to play it normal.  She’ll gage Beca’s mood when she wakes up and proceed accordingly.  The main goal is to not scare her best friend away.

She cleans the steam off of the mirror and finally takes a good look at herself for the first time since she got home last night.  Something red catches her eye.  Her gaze falls to the reflection of her neck, and she gasps when she sees a line of fresh hickeys sitting there.  Well, if Beca didn’t remember anything from last night, she sure will now.

As flashbacks threaten to replay themselves in her head, Chloe splashes cold water onto her face.  She then moves her hair in front of her shoulder to cover the hickeys a bit, that way they’re not the first thing Beca sees when she finally gets up.  

Once she is satisfied with her appearance, she takes a breath, gets dressed, and heads downstairs to start her day.  This is going to be interesting.

 

* * *

 

Chloe sits at the kitchen island, sipping at her tea.  She reads an article on her phone, hoping to distract herself, but she has no such luck.  The suspense is killing her.  She needs to know how Beca feels about last night.  She needs to know if she’ll get to kiss her again.  She needs to know if her friendship is doomed.

She finally hears footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Morning,” a husky voice grumbles.  Chloe looks up to see Beca enter and head straight for the cupboard. 

“Hi.”  

Chloe takes in her appearance.  Beca always looks particularly unpleasant in the morning, probably because she _hates_ mornings, but today, she has kicked it up a notch.  She’s clearly fighting a killer hangover.  Her hair is a tangled mess, she has circles under her eyes, and Chloe thinks her glare has reached a new level.  She also happens to be sporting a number of hickeys on her neck.  Chloe fights the urge to smile at her handiwork.

“Wow, you look...”

“Don’t remind me.”  Beca grabs a glass from the cupboard and fills it with water.  

Chloe sees her grip the edge of the counter to steady herself before she takes a sip of the water.

“Ugh the room is still spinning,” Beca groans.

“Want an omelette?  You’ll probably feel better once you have something in your stomach.”

“Sure.  Just cheese, though.  I don’t think I can keep anything else down,” Beca answers as she grabs some Advil from another one of the cabinets.  

“You’ve got it.”  Chloe rises from her seat and places a pan on the stove so it can warm up.  As she grabs the eggs from the fridge, she sees Beca throw back the Advil then chug the entire glass of water.

As Chloe places a bowl on the counter, the tiny brunette leans against the kitchen island, facing Chloe’s back.

“So, uh...we...we kissed last night, right?”  

The question makes Chloe almost drop the egg she’s about to crack.  Her heart pounds.  Realizing that this is it - this is going to turn into a conversation - she places the egg onto the counter, then turns to look at Beca.  She’s not sure how to read Beca’s shy tone, so she remains silent.

“I wasn’t, like, drunkenly hallucinating or whatever?”

Chloe shyly flips her hair over her shoulder, revealing her own hickeys.  “It happened,” she confirms.

Beca’s eyes widen at the sight of the marks.  “Holy shit.”  She takes a step closer to examine them.  She looks startled, yet kind of impressed.  “I...I didn’t know I was such an animal.  Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Chloe assures her, eyeing the set of hickeys she had given Beca in return.  “Apparently I was trying to give you a run for your money.”

Beca’s eyebrows hit her hairline as her hand moves to her own neck.  “What?  Did you -”

“I guess you haven’t looked in the mirror yet.”

Too lazy to go find a mirror, Beca grabs a spoon out of a drawer and holds it up to check her reflection.  Her eyes grow even wider once she sees her neck.  “Holy crap!  Chloe!”

Chloe crosses her arms and smirks.  “Personally, I think it’s a work of art.  You’re welcome.”

She watches Beca’s expression, waiting for a snarky reply, or at least some type of hint to what it all means.  Her insides twist when she doesn't get one.  Shit, did she fuck up?  Is it too soon for jokes?  Why does Beca have that alarming look on her face?

After another moment of silence, Beca’s eyebrows furrow.  Then her eyes suddenly widen and she puts her hand over her mouth, bolting towards the bathroom.  

“Beca?”

As soon as she hears her best friend gagging, Chloe quickly turns off the stove and hurries to the bathroom, making sure to free the hair tie from her wrist as she enters.  She gathers Beca’s hair and ties it back.  She then comfortingly rubs Beca’s back as the hungover brunette continues to throw up.

“You good?” Chloe gently asks when it sounds like she’s finally done.

Beca nods.  Chloe grabs a tissue and uses it to wipe off her chin.

“Thanks,” Beca says as she closes the lid of the toilet and rises to flush it.

Chloe gives Beca another once-over to confirm that she is in fact alright.  “I’m gonna go finish your omelette, okay?”

Beca nods, and as Chloe returns to the kitchen, Beca heads upstairs to brush her teeth.

Chloe feels her teeth sink into her bottom lip.  Okay, that could have gone better, but it also could have gone much worse.  Beca remembers what happened.  Yeah, she hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to repeat last night, but she’s not running away either.  That’s a good start.  She’ll take it.

 

* * *

 

After Beca returns to the kitchen, the room is silent, other than the clinking of her fork against her plate as she scarfs down her omelette.  Chloe carefully watches her, looking for any little sign that can give her the slightest idea of how Beca is feeling about last night, but she gets nothing.  Beca just looks tired and hungry, which is nothing new.

“Feeling better now?” Chloe finally asks.

“A little,” Beca says after she swallows her last bite.  She leans back in her seat with a sigh.  “What a wild night, huh?”

Chloe takes a breath, preparing for round two of this conversation.  “Yeah.  It was...pretty crazy.”

“That’s so not like me to do that,” Beca admits.  “I’m sorry if I made things weird.”  She cringes.  “I haven’t made things weird between us, have I?”

“No, we’re good,” Chloe assures her.

Beca sighs in relief.  “Good, because I wouldn’t want to fuck up our friendship or anything.”

Chloe feels something tug in her chest.  There’s her answer.  “Of course,” she manages.

“I think we just both needed to let loose this once, ya know?  Have a little fun.”  Beca’s eyes shyly drop to her lap.  “I was hurting over Natalie, and then we were trying to make her jealous...”  She suddenly realizes what she said and her eyes shoot up, widening in horror.  “Not that I was using you!  God, I’d never do that...” 

Chloe can see that her best friend is about to get flustered, and in a few seconds, she’s going to start tripping over her words and using her hands too much.  In anticipation, she grabs one of Beca’s hands and gives her a comforting smile.  “Becs, it’s fine.  We’re fine.”

“You sure?” Beca asks, carefully studying her expression.

Chloe keeps the smile on her lips and gives her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go.  “Totes.”

Beca leans back in her chair.  “Okay, good.”  She takes a sip of her water and her eyes return to her lap.  “You’re, uh...you’re a good kisser,” she shyly admits.

Chloe’s smile widens.  “I’m aware.”  It grows even more when she sees Beca’s cheeks take on a slight shade of pink.  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Beca motions to the hickeys on Chloe’s neck.  “Well, clearly.”

“Don’t get cocky, Mitchell.  It’ll ruin your technique.”

 

* * *

 

Everything is fine after that.  They don’t act any differently than they normally would that afternoon.  Well, for the most part.  Chloe makes the conscious decision to tone down the flirty comments, at least for a little while until she is absolutely sure Beca was telling the truth when she said she was okay.  They also don’t cuddle when they decide to watch a movie to help distract Beca from her hangover that afternoon.  Chloe knows she’d enjoy being snuggled up against the tiny brunette a little too much.  So she stays on her side and tries to focus on the movie, no matter how painful it is.

She’s trying really hard not to be upset, and she mentally beats herself up for feeling disappointed by this whole thing.  What did she think was going to happen?  That Beca was going to magically run down the stairs that morning and kiss her again?  Maybe declare her undying love for Chloe after scarfing down the omelette?  That kind of thing only happens in movies.  Life is never that simple.

“Fuck.  Chloe.”

Happy to have a distraction from her own thoughts, Chloe glances at Beca, who is staring at her lap.  “What?”

Beca continues to keep her gaze low.  “Matt.”

Chloe bites her lip before responding.  _Shit_.  All she can manage to say is a quiet, “I know.”

To be honest, she hasn’t really thought about him much today.  Well, the thought has crossed her mind once or twice, but she keeps pushing it away.  Because she knows that this situation just got a whole lot messier, and she’s afraid of what will happen if she does allow herself to think about it.

“Fuck.  I made you cheat on your boyfriend.”  Beca covers her face with her hands.  “God, I’m such a dick.”

The sight makes Chloe’s insides churn.  She doesn’t like shameful Beca.  She gently removes the tiny brunette’s hands from her face.  “Hey, it’s not your fault.  This is on me.  If I remember correctly, I kissed you back.” 

She gently brushes her thumb over the hand she is still holding.  “Don’t worry about it, Becs.  Really.”

No.  Matt doesn’t need to know.  Chloe's chest hurts at the thought of lying to the man she loves, but what choice does she have?  How would telling him the truth help anyone in this situation?  It would just hurt him, and he does not deserve to be hurt like that.  Because he really is amazing and Chloe really does love him.  The fact that she has done something so terribly awful to him makes her want to throw up.

Oh god, and if he decided to end their relationship out of anger?  No.  She _cannot_ let that happen.  She can’t be single.  Not now when all of these old feelings are being awakened.  Dangerous feelings.

It’s officially been decided.  She won’t tell him.

 

* * *

 

Beca locks her car and heads for the door of Jesse’s apartment.  She’s happy to be out of her own house for a little bit.  She can finally breathe.  She and Chloe had had their fun at Cobalt two whole days ago, and she’s still flustered by the whole thing.

She can’t believe she did that.  Just let her desire get the best of her and pretty much attacked her best friend.  Almost _went all the way_ with her best friend without giving it a second thought. But at the same time, she kind of...liked it?  Liked how it felt so...normal?  Is making out with your best friend supposed to feel so normal?

Whatever, it doesn’t matter.  Because it can’t happen again.  She and Chloe are best friends.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Beca turns the knob and pushes the door open.  “Sup, loser!” she calls.

“Hey, weirdo,” Jesse greets from the floor, sitting in the middle of a few pieces of wood, some nails, and various tools.

“What are you doing?”

Jesse smiles like an excited child.  “My new shelf came!  I can finally fit my entire movie collection!”

“Wow.  You are just winning at life right now,” Beca deadpans.

“Make yourself useful and hand me those nails.”

She quickly locates the pieces to which Jesse is referring and hands them over.

“Holy hickeys!” Jesse exclaims, his eyes fixated on her neck. 

“Fuck,” Beca hisses as her hand self-consciously moves to her neck.  She forgot to cover them up before she left.  She plops onto the couch and cringes on the inside, knowing she’s about to get hounded.

Jesse puts down the hammer and leans over to get a better look, then whistles.  “Who’s the lucky person who decided to turn your neck leopard print?”

“Nobody,” Beca says, pulling her hair over her shoulder to cover them, as if that would make this whole thing go away.

“Come on, Becs.  I’ll start off easy.  Guy or girl?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jesse takes a second to hammer the nail into the piece of wood.  “Dude, you haven’t gotten laid in awhile.  Let me be excited for you.”

Beca crosses her arms.  “You don’t need to know who it is to be excited for me.”

“Is it someone I know?”

“We’re done with this conversation.”  Beca looks at the pile of tools, desperate to change the subject.  She reaches over and picks up a screwdriver.  “Here.  Need this?”

“Fine.  I’ll just ask Chloe.”

“Dude, don’t.”

Jesse puts down the hammer and pulls out his phone.  “Nope.  You won’t tell me who it is, so –”

“Seriously, don’t!”  She lunges at him, trying to grab the phone out of his hands.  She’s prepared to wrestle him for it if she has to.  She may be small, but she can be kinda strong when she’s determined enough.  Plus, she knows all of Jesse’s tickle spots.  Yeah, she’s willing to put him through that kind of torture.  He _cannot_ text Chloe.  That would just involve another awkward conversation between the two of them about the events of that night, and she’s so not ready for that.

“Bec, chill,” Jesse says as he tries to pull his arm out of her grip.  “What’s your pr –”  He suddenly freezes, and by the way his eyes widen and the way his mouth drops open, Beca knows he has made the realization.  “No freaking way!”  

Beca cringes, completely dreading where this conversation is going.

“You hooked up with _Chloe_?”

“Kind of.”

“Holy shit!”

Her eyes find her lap and she nervously begins picking at her thumbnail.  “We were really drunk, okay?  Like, I think tequila is still seeping out of my pores.”

“Did you guys have sex?”

“No!  No, of course not.”  The room is silent for a second, but it might as well be full of people screaming at her.  It’s been killing her for two days, and she has to tell someone.  “I think we might have though if she hadn’t stopped things,” she admits.

Jesse’s eyes nearly pop out of his skull.  “Wait, _she_ stopped it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s weird.”

“Why is it weird?”

Jesse shrugs and picks up a new nail.  “I don’t know, she just strikes me as the wild type, ya know?  I feel like if she had the chance to do you, she totally would.”

“Really?  Why?”

“She just seems to like you a little differently than everybody else.”

“That’s just how we are.”

“Mhm,” Jesse knowingly hums with a smile.

Beca rolls her eyes.  It’s like the Bellas are here in this tiny apartment teasing her.  “It _is_ ,” she grunts.

Jesse pauses to hammer another nail into the shelf.  When he is finished, he looks back up at her with a smirk.  “Dude.  You made out with Chloe Beale.”

Beca brings her hands up to cover her face.  “Please stop reminding me.”

“Was it as good as all the Barden boys said it was?”

Beca waves him away.  “I’m done talking about this.”

“It so was!  You totally enjoyed it!”

“Oh my god, Jesse!”  Her cheeks suddenly feel a little warm and all she wants to do right now is crawl under a rock.

“You’re blushing!”

“Fuck off.”

Beca has a feeling that much like the shower incident, she will never live down that night at Cobalt.

 

* * *

 

Chloe plops onto the couch with her laptop, still catching her breath from her run.  It’s the first time she has had the house to herself since that night at Cobalt.  She was a bit relieved when Beca had announced that she was going to Jesse’s place for the afternoon, thinking that maybe the absence of the tiny brunette would finally give her a chance to calm down. 

Except she can’t get Beca out of her head.  Flashbacks from that night keep flooding back.  The sight of Beca’s drunken smile as they danced against each other is ingrained in her mind.  She can practically still feel Beca’s ribcage under her fingertips.  Her lips have been tingling for two days straight.  And all she can think about is how much she misses the tiny brunette right now.  How much she just wants the comfort of her presence.

Chloe had thought going for a run would help her clear her head, but it just made things worse.  She feels like she is going to explode.

She opens up her laptop and pulls up the FaceTime app.

She wasn’t going to tell Aubrey.  She _couldn’t_ tell Aubrey.  The news would probably make the blonde fly to LA on the spot and personally drag her back to Georgia by the ear.  All while giving her a day-long lecture on why she should never have moved in with the ‘tattooed little monster’ in the first place.  Chloe was not about to tell her wiser best friend that she was totally right.  She was not about to sit down and listen to an “I told you so.”

Chloe’s resolve lasted for just over a day, but it has now flown away with the rest of her sanity.  She has to tell someone.  She has to tell someone who truly understands her, who knows all the right things to say to calm her down.  She has to suck it up and tell Aubrey, even if it means sitting through a shameful lecture.

Aubrey quickly responds to Chloe’s “ _Need to talk to you.  It’s important_ ” text, and before Chloe knows it, she hears the familiar beep of their FaceTime call connecting.

_“Hey, Chlo.”_

Chloe quickly recognizes where Aubrey is.

“Bree, why are you at work on a Sunday?”

_“There is no such thing as too much planning.  Especially when it comes to team building.”_

Chloe rolls her eyes.  Why is she not surprised by that answer?

“ _Don’t roll your eyes at me.  If it makes you feel any better, you’re forcing me to take a much needed break from paperwork.”_   She takes a moment to examine Chloe’s expression through the screen.  _“So spill.”_

Chloe takes a deep breath and nervously digs her nails into the couch cushion next to her.  _Here it goes._   “I kissed Beca.”

Aubrey drops her pen and it falls to the floor with a tap.  _“I’m sorry, WHAT_? _”_

“I mean, she kissed me...well, we kissed each other.  And I guess it was more making out than kissing...and touching.  There was definitely some touching...”

_“Oh my god, Chloe!  What the hell?”_

Chloe winces and covers her face.  “I know!  It’s so bad!”

Aubrey takes a breath, trying to calm herself.  _“Why don’t you start from the beginning?”_

“Okay.  Well, I had a really bad day Friday, so Beca and I went to her favorite club.  And of course we had a few drinks...And then her ex girlfriend showed up...yeah she’s bi, by the way!  And the ex had a girl with her, which I could tell was really bumming Becs out.  So we had some more drinks...and she and I started dancing all over each other to make this bitch jealous, and the next thing I know, we’re kissing and then we’re, like, in her bed and she’s pulling my shorts off...”

Aubrey puts a hand up.  _“Oh my god, please stop talking!  I don’t want to know the details!”_

“Aubrey, I think we would have gone all the way if I hadn’t made us stop.”

 _“Jesus, Chloe!”_ Aubrey huffs.

“I was really drunk,” Chloe tries.

_“The important thing is that you stopped.”_

“I...I didn’t want to, though,” Chloe admits.

Aubrey leans back in her chair and stares into space for a moment.  Chloe knows that look.  The blonde is analyzing all of the facts and formulating all possible solutions.  She’s actually kind of surprised that no charts or lists are being made at the moment.

Aubrey finally looks up at her again.  _“What did Beca have to say about it?”_

“We were ‘just letting loose’ and it was a one time thing.”

The blonde clenches her jaw.  _“Of course.”_   Her expression then softens and she looks Chloe hard in the eye.  _“Chloe, do_ you _want it to be a one time thing?”_

Chloe’s heart pounds at the question.  She feels her eyes start to get glossy and it takes everything she has to keep it together.  Why do emotions have to be so overwhelming?  “Bree, I’m...”  Her words get caught in her throat.  She takes a deep breath and starts again.  “I’m in l-”  She feels something tug in her gut and she stops again.  No.  She can’t admit this.  If she says it out loud, it becomes real.  And this _can’t_ become real.  There’s too much at stake.

Chloe feels her entire body fill with resolve.  “You know what?  I think it’s going to be okay,” she decides.  

 _“You do?”_ Aubrey asks in surprise.

“I think this is what I needed.  To just give into my curiosity.  To ease the years of sexual tension.”

 _“Or to feed the fire,”_ Aubrey mumbles.

“I’m sure the excitement will wear off in a few days.  We’ll be fine.  I’m fine.”

_“Are you sure?”_

“Totes.  I think I just needed to tell someone, ya know?  I already feel so much better.”

“Okay...”

Chloe knows the blonde doesn’t believe her, but she’s thankful that Aubrey isn’t going to question her.  “I'm all gross from my run, so I’m gonna head upstairs and take a shower.  Good luck with the rest of your paperwork.”

 _“Thanks,”_ Aubrey grumbles, taking a glance at the stack of papers sitting in front of her.

“And Bree?”  Chloe shoots her a warm smile.  “Thanks for listening to my freakout.  You’re the best.”

The blonde returns the smile.  _“I know.”_

Chloe’s hand hovers over the end button, but stops when Aubrey speaks again.

_“Chlo?”_

“Hm?”

 _“Consider taking a_ cold shower.   _Like, ice cold."_  She throws on a smirk. _"It sounds like you need it.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fire when ready.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sooo sorry this took so long. Apparently, having time to write at college isn't a thing. I'm going to try to update as often as possible while I'm home for break. And again, I want to thank you for being so patient with me. Enjoy!

Beca closes the front door behind her with a sigh.  It was another long day and she’s absolutely thrilled that some more of Chloe’s leftover lasagna is waiting for her in the fridge.

As she heads straight for the kitchen, she hears the redhead’s voice coming from the living room.  She’s clearly on the phone, and it sounds like she’s using her Matt tone.

Beca raises an eyebrow to herself as she heats up her food.  Usually, Chloe will at least yell a quick hi to her when she comes home, and sometimes, she’ll even stop mid conversation with Matt to talk to Beca about her day.  Except today, Beca got nothing.

She cocks an ear towards the living room, even though she can technically hear their conversation just fine regularly if she listens hard enough.

_“Babe, all I asked was who you were going out with tonight.  Is that a crime?...Can you blame me for being curious?...No, you’ve just been going out a lot...What are you trying to say?”_

Beca sighs.  She has been hearing the same thing for weeks now.  Chloe and Matt have been fighting.  Like, more than they should be.  It started off as little things, like arguing about when they would Facetime next, but lately, it has gotten more serious.  And after each phone call, Chloe looks more and more exhausted.

_“You know what?  I think I should go before we start saying things we’ll regret.  Just text me tomorrow, okay?”  “Alright.  Bye.”_

Seconds later, a mop of red hair appears in the doorway, and the face attached to it somehow manages to put on a smile.  “Hey, Becs.”

Okay, so Chloe is going to shrug it off. Guess Beca is going to do the same.  “Hey.”

“How was work today?”

“Tiring, but productive.  I finished fine-tuning that EP I was telling you about,” Beca answers as she takes a seat at the kitchen island with her plate.

“That’s great!  I’m proud of you, Beca Effin’ Mitchell,” Chloe says as she takes a seat next to her.

Beca pushes the lasagna around on her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore.  “That sounded like a rough one,” she comments after she can no longer take the silence.  Looks like she's not going to just shrug it off.

Chloe runs her hands through her hair.  “Yeah.  It was.”

“Are you okay?”

Chloe is silent for a moment and Beca can practically hear her trying to sort her own thoughts out.  She releases a frustrated breath.  “I hate this, Becs.  Like, I’m trying not to be the crazy jealous girlfriend, but he’s been going out a lot recently.  I feel like he spends all of this time with his friends instead of talking to me.”

“I mean, that’s completely valid, dude.  Just because you two live on different coasts doesn’t give you an excuse to neglect each other.”

“I know.  And I get that he has a life in Tampa, and that’s fine.  I just miss him so much and it’s just so hard sometimes.”  Chloe rests her elbows on the island and puts her head in her hands.

“At least it’s almost Christmas,” Beca points out.  “You’ll get to see him in a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah.  Just to leave him again a week later.”

Beca isn't sure who this whole situation bothers more: Chloe or her.  She absolutely hates watching her best friend go through this.  Hates watching Chloe get the joy sucked out of her after each fight.  Hates that the man she loves (and a man who Beca kind of came to like) is hurting her.  And she hates how there's nothing she can do to make it better.

She pushes a bite of lasagna around her plate for a second.  "I...I think it's gonna be okay, Chlo."

Chloe doesn't move.  Beca knows she has to kick it up a notch.

"I mean, you've gotten this far right?  You can make it until the summer."

Beca holds her breath and doesn't release it until she sees Chloe lift her head up and the frown disappear from her face.

"I guess so.  Thanks Becs."

 

* * *

  

The next evening, Beca finds herself lounging on the couch with her laptop on her thighs, researching a client that her label just signed.  Chloe sits on the other end of the couch, also on her laptop, scrolling through Pinterest for new lesson plan ideas.  Beca has come to look forward to nights like these - ones where they both just collapse after work and wind down in a comfortable silence, only breaking it occasionally to share details about their day.  It’s peaceful and easy.

Chloe finally releases a frustrated grunt.

“Nothing good?” Beca asks.  Chloe has been searching for almost an hour.

“Oh, I gave up on that ages ago.  I’m online shopping.”

Beca bites back a smile.  No matter how many years pass, some things about Chloe will never change.  “So what’s the problem?”

“I’m limiting myself to one item.  But I can’t decide between this skirt or this jacket.  What do you think?”

Beca doesn’t look up from her laptop.  “I don’t know. Pick whichever one you want.”

“But I don’t know which one I want!” Chloe whines.

Beca shrugs.  “Can’t help you, dude.”  

Chloe gives an annoyed “hmph” and they return to the silence...until the redhead breaks it again a few seconds later.  “You’ve been kind of quiet since last night.  Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Beca answers, then realizes that if she leaves it at that, Chloe will see right through her.  “Just...exhausted.”

Chloe studies her face.  “You sure?”

Before Beca can struggle to come up with an excuse, Chloe’s phone rings.  She sighs.  Saved by the bell.

Chloe stands and grabs her phone.  “Hey, baby.”  She drops her smile and begins to pace as she listens to Matt.

Beca’s body tenses.  Here we go again.

“Babe, I’m sorry.  I had my phone on silent....Well I’m sorry that my life doesn’t revolve around your schedule.”  Clearly frustrated, she puts her free hand on her hip.  

Beca’s stomach churns.  Oh boy.  Chloe’s getting pissed.

“How do you think I feel?  You do the same thing to me all the time.”  The hand that rested on Chloe’s hip begins flailing in the air.

Beca debates taking cover, but Chloe’s face suddenly softens.  “Know what?  You’re right.  I am getting too wound up.  We both are.  Let’s just agree to hang up for now, okay?  Okay.  Bye.”

Chloe tosses the phone onto the coffee table and takes her seat on the couch.

Beca studies her as she silently grabs her laptop and resumes the online shopping she had been doing before she was interrupted.  Her jaw is clenched and her fingers move stiffly across the touchpad.  She’s quiet.  Wayyy too quiet.

“You okay?” Beca probes.

“Yeah.  I’ll be fine once I cool down.”  Piercing blue eyes remain fixated on the laptop screen.

But Beca sees right past the fury.  She knows that in reality, Chloe is more hurt than angry.  Chloe loves Matt more than anything, and it’s probably tearing her apart that the long distance is turning their relationship rotten.

She wonders how much longer it will be until Chloe breaks.  How many more days it will be before Chloe decides that her true place is back in Tampa with him.  How long it will be until she must go back to a life where the first interaction she’ll have in the morning will be a grumpy greeting from a coworker, not a bright smile.  A life where she spends her weekends cooped up at the studio working because there’s nobody to drag her around LA, searching for adventures.  A life with no more spontaneous singing.  A life with no more bubbly redhead to make everything better all the time.

“I don’t want you to leave,” Beca blurts.  She watches Chloe furrow her eyebrows, and the bright blue eyes staring back at her make her want to pass out.  She cringes.  “Is that super terrible of me?”  Fuck, why did she just say that?

The redhead is instantly next to her on the couch.  “No, that’s not super terrible of you.”  She pulls her into a tight hug.  “You don’t have to worry.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Beca can’t look at her once she releases her.  Chloe’s words don’t exactly reassure her.

“Becs?”

“You say that now, but...”  She shakes her head in embarrassment.  She’s just being stupid.  Dammit, why does she keep letting herself slip like this?

“But what?” Chloe asks.

Beca sighs.  There’s no getting out of this one.  “I feel like it’s just a matter of time before you change your mind and decide to move back to Tampa to save your relationship.  I mean, I get it.  You love him and you deserve to be happy.  It’s just really gonna suck.”

Chloe puts her hand on Beca’s knee.  “Beca, I’m not changing my mind.  I love how my life is right now and I want to stay here with you.”   

Beca looks up and sees the sincerity in her eyes.  Her body instantly relaxes.

“And I think I’m going to end it with him,” Chloe adds.

“What?”

Chloe shrugs, but Beca can tell she’s hurting.  “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile.  I think it’s what’s best for us.”

“Are you sure?  I mean you just hung up from a fight,” Beca points out.

“Exactly.  I love him so much, but if this,” Chloe gestures to her cell phone, “is who we really are, then we are not meant to be in a serious relationship. We just...I don’t think we work as a couple anymore.”

 

* * *

  

Beca wanted to believe her, especially since Chloe never lies, but her brain wouldn’t let her.  She spent the past few days waiting for her best friend to announce that she realized she made a dumb decision.  But that never happened.

Beca now finds herself sitting on the living room floor with Chloe, cutting circles out of white construction paper that kindergarteners will soon use to make snowmen.

Chloe is surprisingly quiet.  It’s obvious to Beca that she gave up on her effort to make small talk early on in the cutting process.  Beca can tell something is on her mind by the way her eyes are so intensely fixated on the branch arms she’s cutting out of her brown paper.

“I’ve decided I’m gonna do it when I’m there for winter break,” Chloe finally says.  It’s soft, but sure.

Beca puts her freshly-cut circle into the pile with the rest of them.  “Aren’t you spending Christmas with his family?”

“His parents are coming over for dinner on Christmas Eve.  So I think I’ll wait until right before I come back here.”

“Ouch.  Right in time for New Year’s.”

“Well, I have to do it in person, and I’m not waiting until spring break to do it.”

“Good point.”

They return to cutting in silence for a few more minutes.

“Will you come with me?”  

Surprised by the question, Beca almost cuts right through the middle of her circle.  She looks up to see innocent blue eyes staring at her in desperation.

“Please?  You can spend Christmas with me and my family instead of alone at Infinity.”  Chloe shyly looks down at the paper in her hands.  “I kinda don’t want to be there alone.”

Beca rarely sees this Chloe.  The shy and unsure side of her.  The scared side of her.  She sighs as she grabs a new sheet of paper.  Holidays aren’t really her thing, but her best friend needs her.

“Sure.  I’ll come with you."  She jokingly points her scissors at her best friend.  "But only if Mama Beale makes mac and cheese.”  She feels a wave of relief as the smile returns to Chloe’s face.

“Deal.”

 

* * *

 

The week flies by and before Beca knows it, she’s stepping off of a plane in sunny, humid Tampa.  She walks next to Chloe in the jetway.

“You good?” she asks.  The redhead was a little quiet on the ride there, and Beca did not fail to notice how she periodically bit on her bottom lip.

“I’m a little nervous,” Chloe admits.

“I think it’ll be okay.  You just have to get through the next few days.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agrees as they enter the airport and head for the baggage claim.  

They almost reach it when Chloe suddenly slows her pace.  Confused, Beca follows her gaze.  And that’s when she sees Matt across the way.  He has already spotted them and he wears a smile big enough that it could almost rival one of Chloe’s.  Almost.

He outstretches his arms as they get close and Chloe runs to him with an excited squeal.  He picks her up and spins her around for a second.  Literally, it’s like something Beca would see in a movie and cringe at.

“Hey, beautiful,” Matt says.

Chloe gives him an annoyingly long kiss.  Beca has to look away.

“I missed you,” the redhead murmurs once she pulls away.  

Beca looks back up to see that she still has her arms around him and that her smile could not be bigger.  She seems awfully...excited to see him.  Maybe she did change her mind after all.

“Hey, Beca.”

She lets Matt pull her into a hug.  “Hey,” she greets, praying her voice doesn’t sound fake.

“I’m glad you get to spend the holidays with us.”

“Yeah.”

He gestures to the luggage carousel.  “Alright ladies, let’s get your stuff and head out.  Your vacation awaits.”

 


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, Christmas Eve morning to be exact, Beca wakes up to a soft, soothing voice.  

“Beca.”

Beca groans.  No.  This is supposed to be her vacation.  She’ll sleep as long as she wants, thank you very much.  And Chloe should take all the alone time with Matt that she can get.  She only has, like, a week before they’re across the country again.  And by the way she was all over him last night, she definitely wants that alone time.

“Becs, time to wake up,” Chloe hums.

“There’s a time difference.  I get another three hours,” Beca grunts, knowing very well that she has already lost this argument.

Chloe giggles.  “You’ll adjust.  Come on, we made breakfast.”

Beca cracks an eye open.  “We?”

“Yeah.  Matt and I used to do it every weekend when we lived together.”

Beca chuckles as she wipes the sleep from her eyes.

“What?” Chloe asks.

“You’re awfully...lovey-dovey with him.”

“Yeah.  You know, some people are actually lovey-dovey with their boyfriends.”

Beca rolls her eyes at the sarcasm.  She really doesn’t want to say anything, but she hasn’t been caffeinated yet, therefore her filter is nonexistent.  “Ya know, if you keep that up, this whole breakup thing is really going to take him by surprise.”

Chloe’s face changes as it clicks.  She sighs.  “I’m just...I’m trying to get through one day at a time.  This is kinda hard.”  

Beca waits a moment before responding and studies Chloe’s face, trying to determine if the redhead is going to continue.  But she doesn’t.  “I know,” Beca sighs.  “I probably shouldn’t be teasing you about it.”

Chloe’s frown turns into a smirk.  “You wouldn’t be my best friend if you didn’t tease me.”  She then grabs the blanket and gives it a tug.  “Now get up and come eat before it gets cold.  I want to spend time with my family before Matt and his parents come over tonight.”

Beca releases another groan.  So much for a vacation.

 

* * *

 

It’s not that Beca isn’t happy to be visiting the Beales.  She actually likes the Beales a lot.  As a matter of fact, she was surprised by how much she liked them the first time she met them back when she was at Barden.  She had expected them to be Chloe clones: energetic, bubbly redheads.  Turns out, Chloe’s mother is the only redhead, other than Chloe.  Mr. Beale and Chloe’s brother, Nate, both have blond hair.  And even though they all share most of Chloe’s personality traits, they are much more mellow and laid back.  Chloe is simply the rest of her family on steroids.

Yeah, Beca is actually looking forward to seeing them, especially since she hasn’t in almost four years.  She just isn’t looking forward to the whole “celebrating the holidays” thing.  She knows the Beales go all out for Christmas, and there is no doubt in her mind that they’re going to force her into doing all that cheesy holiday stuff.  Yay.

As Beca reaches the trunk of the car to grab her bag from Matt, she hears a door open followed by a loud, squealing voice.  

“My little sunshine is home!”

Beca looks up to see Mrs. Beale standing at the front door, beaming.

Chloe forgets about her bag and runs to her mother, attacking her with a hug.  “Hey, Mom!”  They don’t release each other until Beca shyly reaches them.

Even though Beca thought it was impossible, Mrs. Beale’s smile gets even bigger when she sees her.  “Beca!  It’s been far too long!  Come here, sweetie!”  She pulls Beca into a suffocating hug.

“Nice to see you again, Mama Beale,” Beca says with the little breath she has left.

“Chlo-bear told me you’re not big on holidays,” Mrs. Beale says once she releases her.

“Did she?” Beca says through clenched teeth, attempting to fake a smile.  She glances at Chloe, who is smirking at her.

“We’re going to change that.”  Mrs. Beale sounds pretty sure of herself.

“Yay,” Beca cheers weakly.  Great.  She’s going to be holiday-ed to death.  The things she does for Chloe.

After they say goodbye to Matt - some more intimately than others - they enter the house.  

“Where is everybody?” Chloe asks.

“Daddy will be home from work soon and Nate should be getting here right before dinner,” Mrs. Beale answers.  “Why don’t you two go upstairs and get settled?  Then you can come back down and help me make cookies.”

 

* * *

 

After they put their bags in their rooms, Chloe leads Beca through the living room on the way to the kitchen.  Beca eyes the tree and she can’t help but bite back a smile.  It’s bright and colorful and it one hundred percent captures the essence of the Beale family.  Her eyes then fall to the fireplace, where five stockings hang neatly in a row.  Her pace slows.  Wait, five?  There are only four Beales.  Jeff...Fiona...Nate...Chloe...

Beca freezes.  On the fifth stocking, written neatly in glittery letters, is her own name.  She stares at it.  At first, she assumes that Chloe just brought hers from LA, but she quickly realizes that it’s different.  Her stocking at home says “Beca Effin’ Mitchell” and Chloe’s says “Chloe Freakin’ Beale.”  She feels her jaw drop a little.  Chloe’s family must have gone out and gotten her one.

“You like it?”

She pulls her eyes away to see Chloe beaming at her, and somehow, she manages to reply.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Santa needs somewhere to put the presents, Becs.  You know, in case he runs out of room under the tree.”  Chloe says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.  “Now come on.  Cookie time!”

She takes Beca’s arm and leads her to the kitchen.  They enter to find Mrs. Beale mixing dough in a bowl.   “Alright girls, hopefully we can have these baked and iced before the Montgomerys get here.  Wash those hands and grab some cookie cutters.”

 

Mrs. Beale actually makes Beca help, even though Beca insists she’ll mess everything up.  Surprisingly, Beca actually enjoys making the cookies.  She realizes she likes creating something physical for once, something she can hold in her hands.

She quickly finds herself sitting down at the table and icing a batch that has finally cooled.  She grabs the green icing and begins decorating a Christmas tree.  Then an ornament one.  Then a snowman one.  It barely even phases her when Mrs. Beale’s phone rings.

“Oh, it’s work.  I’ll be back.”

Beca grabs the black icing and carefully creates the eyes of her snowman.  As she reaches for the orange icing to make the nose, she feels a pair of eyes on her.  She looks to see Chloe smirking at her like she just caught her doing something she shouldn’t.

“What?” Beca asks.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Beca looks back at her cookie and shrugs.  “It’s whatever.”

“Mhmm.”

“What?” Beca asks again, this time more exasperated.

“You’re actually having _fun_ doing a _holiday activity_.”

“There’s food involved.”

“Admit it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude.”

“Admit it!”

“Nope.”

A finger taps Beca’s nose, and Beca crosses her eyes to see that there is now red icing there.  She puts down her own icing and turns to a beaming Chloe, who is sucking the remainder of the icing off of her finger.

“You did _not_ just do that.”

“Sure did, Rudolph!”

Beca scoffs.  “Fine.”  She then reaches for the blue icing bottle and presses the nozzle hard.  The icing hits Chloe like Silly String.

“Beca!” the redhead squeals as she puts her hands up to defend herself.

Beca puts the icing down with a smirk.  “That’ll teach you to be sassy to Beca Effin’ Mitchell.”

Chloe quickly grabs the green icing and sprays Beca back.   “And this will teach you not to fuck with Chloe Freakin’ Beale!”  

Beca picks up her blue icing again and retaliates.  Chloe is _not_ going to win this one.

The sound of the redhead’s laughter is music to Beca’s ears, and she realizes that for the first time in a few weeks, her best friend looks genuinely happy.

Through her giggling, Beca thinks she hears a door open and close.

“Where’s my little girl?”

Chloe drops her icing onto the table.  “Daddy!” she squeals.

Mr. Beale’s face quickly appears in the kitchen doorway.  “Hey, Little Red!”

Chloe runs to him, but he stops her before she can hug him.  

“Woah, what’s going on in here?  You know you’re supposed to be decorating the cookies, not yourself, right?”

“Beca was just getting into the holiday spirit.  She might have gone a little overboard, though.”

“Hey!” Beca complains.

“Of course it’s her fault.  I knew she was a bad influence,” Mr. Beale jokes.  “It’s great to see you again, Beca.”

“You, too, Mr. Beale,” Beca replies.

Mr. Beale grabs one of the cookies and takes a bite.  “Alright, well I’m going to change out of these work clothes.  I’ll let you two get back to decorating each other.  I mean the cookies.”  He gives them a wink and leaves.

Beca pulls out her phone and flips to the camera to assess the damage.  She has icing all over...everything.

“Dude, how did you mange to get so much on my face?”

Chloe shoots her a proud smile as she makes her way back to the table.  “Talent.”  

Beca rolls her eyes, but suddenly feels a tongue brush over her cheek.  Eyes practically popping out of her head, she turns back to Chloe, who is licking her lips.

“There.  Now there’s less on your face,” the redhead giggles, which elicits yet another eye roll.

“You’re so weird.”

“But you love me,” Chloe says, smiling with all of her teeth.  “Come on, let’s finish these up.”

 

* * *

 

Even with the impromptu icing fight, Beca, Chloe, and Mrs. Beale finish decorating the cookies.  Beca and Chloe even have time to change into something less sticky before Nate arrives.  Nate treats Beca just like a little sister, and odds are, he would definitely tease both of them if he saw the mess they made.  Luckily, instead of teasing, all Beca gets from him is a hug, because he “knows she hates it, so he has to do it.”  She doesn’t really mind though.

The Montgomerys arrive soon after Nate.  They seem nice enough.  From what Beca can tell, they appear to be kind, down to earth people, just like their son.  Mrs. Montgomery attacked Chloe with a hug as soon as she walked through the door, and both she and Mr. Montgomery treat Chloe like a daughter-in-law.  Who knows?  Maybe Chloe will change her mind and she _will_ be their daughter-in-law one day.  Beca doesn't want to think about that right now, though.

 

She is happy when it’s time to sit down for dinner.  It’s the perfect excuse to avoid conversation by stuffing her face.  Her eyes instantly find the pan of Mama Beale’s mac and cheese and she has to suppress her frustration when she realizes it’s on the other end of the table, so she’ll have to wait for it.  Damn.

Mrs. Beale takes her seat.  “Okay, dig in, everyone!”

People instantly grab dishes and serve themselves, but Beca waits patiently.  She’s not about to fill up on all this other stuff when she can use all that extra room in her stomach to fit extra mac and cheese.

“Oh, wait!  I almost forgot.”  Mrs. Beale rises from her spot and hurries to the kitchen.

“I don’t think there’s room on the table for anything else,” Mr. Beale jokes, making the Montgomerys chuckle.

Mrs. Beale quickly returns with a smaller pan in her hands.  Beca instantly catches a whiff of it and her mouth instantly waters.  It’s more of Mama Beale’s mac and cheese.  To her surprise, Mrs. Beale walks right over to where she is sitting and places the pan in front of her.

“I made one just for you.  That way you don’t have to share.”

Beca just stares at the pan, in awe of the kind gesture and the mac and cheese itself.

Chloe’s mouth drops open.  “Oh my god.  Mom.”

Mrs. Beale hands Beca her fork.  “Dig in, sweetheart.”

Beca looks up at Chloe.  “Please marry me.  I desperately need these in-laws.”

The entire table laughs.

“I don’t know, Becs,” Chloe replies, the playful look in her eyes returning for the first time since the icing fight.  “Matt offered his family’s fattest pig for my hand.  How are you going to top that?”

“Aw man!  I sold my only pig last week for new headphones!”  She feels herself smile when Chloe giggles.  “But I can give you two chickens.  And that pair of wedges you keep eyeing every time we go to the mall but won’t buy because they’re too expensive.”

“Two chickens and a pair of shoes?  That’s all I’m worth to you, Becs?”

“You just screwed yourself,” Nate laughs.

“This dude is giving you a _pig!_   Your family is just gonna kill it and make bacon.  At least you can wear the shoes.  Also omelettes, am I right?”

“I don’t know,” Matt jumps in.  “Do you really think Chloe would let her family kill the pig?”

“He has a good point,” Chloe agrees, and the rest of the table giggles.

Fine.  Beca will let Matt have this one.  But only because she’s busy having a foodgasm over the mac and cheese.

“So Beca, how’s the producing going?” Mr. Beale asks.

“No complaints,” she answers.

“Beca’s producing an album for Sia,” Chloe proudly adds.

Beca feels her cheeks turn a little pink.  Her demo with Stevie was a success, and her boss announced a few weeks ago that she will officially be producing Sia’s album in the next few months.  She still can’t believe it.

“Who’s Sia?” Mr. Montgomery asks.

“She was popular a few years ago,” Beca explains.  “She took a break for a little while, but she’s trying to make a comeback.  Most people probably know her for Chandelier...Elastic Heart...Cheap Thrills...Titanium...”

“Titanium...Why does that sound familiar?” Mr. Beale asks.

“Oh!  That’s the song Chloe always used to blast in her room.  You know.  _I’m bullet proof, nothing to lose..._ ”

Beca’s eyes shoot to Chloe, who brings her glass to her lips, clearly trying to hide the fact that she’s cringing at the sound of her own mother singing her lady jam. 

“Oh I know that song!  I really liked that one!” Mrs. Montgomery exclaims.

“Me, too,” Beca agrees.  “From a musical perspective -” she flashes Chloe a smirk, “the song really builds.”

Absolutely shocked by the comment, Chloe chokes on her drink and Beca has to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.

Matt rubs Chloe’s back as she coughs.  “Woah, you alright, babe?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I’m fine.  Just went down the wrong way,” Chloe grunts, all while shooting Beca a glare that can compete with one of her own.

“Well I can’t wait to hear your music on the radio,” Mr. Beale tells Beca.  “I’m sure it’s going to be great.”

“Of course it’s going to be great.  It’s _Beca_ ,” Mrs. Beale points out.

Chloe smugly elbows Beca’s arm, clearly teasing her about how she’s getting all of this attention.  Beca rolls her eyes and shoves another bite of mac and cheese into her mouth, hoping to become invisible again.  It eventually works.

“So, Chloe, do you like living in LA?” Mr. Montgomery asks.

“Yeah, it’s great,” Chloe answers.  “I like it even more than I thought I would.”

“And the school?  You like it there?” Mrs. Montgomery chimes in.

Chloe’s face lights up.  “Oh, totes.  It’s so cool getting to teach little performers.  And they’re all so cute!”

“So if they ask you to come back next year, do you think you will?”

Beca sees Chloe’s smile lose some of its brightness as she steals a glance at Matt.  The couple hasn’t discussed it yet.

“Um, yeah, probably.”

“So you’re planning on staying in LA for awhile then?”

Even Beca feels stressed from the way that the entire table is staring at Chloe.  Her parents are even carefully watching for her answer.

“Um -”

“Mom!” Matt barks at his mother before Chloe can answer.

Mrs. Montgomery puts her hands up in defense.  “What?  I was just wondering.  I mean, the long distance thing can’t be easy.  And I’d like to be warned in advance if my only son is planning on moving across the country.”

“Mom, now is not the time to talk about this.  It’s Christmas Eve.  Let’s all just enjoy being on the same coast.”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry,” Mrs. Montgomery apologizes.

“Deborah just wants grandkids,” Mr. Montgomery chuckles.

“Funny.  My wife wants to help plan a wedding,” Mr. Beale jokes.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky,” Matt tells them with a suggestive smile.

Beca sees Chloe’s teeth sink into her bottom lip, and she gives her best friend a once-over.  As she looks more closely, she can see that Chloe’s chest is starting to rise and fall more quickly.  She’s panicking.  And the way that everyone is smiling at her and Matt is just making it worse.  Beca knows it’s only a matter of seconds before Chloe loses it.  She needs to do something.

Noticing that Chloe’s hand is resting on her lap - well, her nails are actually digging into her leg -  Beca subtly reaches over and takes it in her own, her own way of reminding her best friend to breathe.  She knows it worked once Chloe gives it a gentle squeeze.

“We’ll have to fly out and visit sometime,” Mrs. Montgomery continues.  “We miss you.”

“That’s why we made a rule when she graduated,” Mrs. Beale points out.  “No matter where she goes in the world, she has to come back for Christmas.”

“And thank god for that,” Matt says with a smile, then leans over and kisses Chloe on the cheek.

Knowing what’s coming, Beca gives Chloe’s hand another squeeze.  Yeah.  It’s a good thing she decided to come.  Her best friend needs her.

 

* * *

 

Once everyone finishes eating, Mrs. Beale and Mrs. Montgomery wash the dishes and rope Nate into drying them.  Mr. Beale and Mr. Montgomery begin making spiked eggnog for everyone.  Beca, Chloe and Matt bring the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

Beca is happy to catch a moment alone with Chloe in the dining room.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Chloe replies as she grabs some leftover champagne glasses.

“That was kinda...intense before.  You okay?” Beca asks cautiously.

Chloe takes a breath, finally letting her guard down.  “I’m okay.  Thanks for, you know, snapping me out of my panic.”

“Anytime, dude.”  Beca grabs the almost empty pan of the communal mac and cheese.  “Dibs!” she calls with a smile.

Chloe giggles.  “All yours, hun.”

Matt returns from his last trip to the sink and hurries over to Chloe.  “Chlo, I am so sorry.”

Beca watches Chloe put her brave face back on with remarkable speed.

“Babe, it’s no big deal.”

Matt takes the champagne glasses out of her hands and places them on the table so he can take her hands in his own.  “Yes, it is.  My mom should not have asked you all of those questions.”

Chloe sighs.  “It’s fine.  I don’t blame her.  My parents probably wanted those answers, too.  They were just too afraid to ask.”

“Well it still wasn’t right.  And I’m gonna make it up to you.”  He suggestively wiggles his eyebrows and kisses her on the lips for a lot longer than Beca would have liked to see.  When Matt pulls away, he tucks a loose strand of Chloe’s hair behind her ear.  “She really loves you, you know.  They both do.”  His smile widens.  “Almost as much as I love you.”

Chloe’s smile finally returns to her lips and she lets Matt kiss her again, but this one doesn’t last as long, thank god.

“Sorry, Becs,” Chloe apologizes, then pulls away from Matt to pick up the remaining champagne glasses from the table.

Beca takes a deep breath once Matt follows Chloe into the kitchen.  Where’s that spiked eggnog?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I'm going back to school next week, so it's going to be the same deal as last time. I probably won't get much time to write, so updates will be pretty slow, but I WILL finish this fic, promise! And seriously, thank you all for being patient and sticking with this story. It really means a lot.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Chloe sits on her bed in her room, staring at her most recent conversation with Matt.  She had been surprised to wake up to a text from him this morning.  Usually, she’s the first one to wake up, well, at least when they’re in the same time zone.

_Guess what!_

**What?**

_I get to spend ALL DAY with you :)_

**Lucky you ;)**

_See you soon baby <3_

Two hours later, the words still make her heart flutter.  She has missed this.  Missed having these simple conversations with her adorably sweet boyfriend.  Missed being so excited to see him.  

Except she knows she only has a few days left of this.  Soon, she’ll be back across the country, and it will all disappear.  Does she want it to disappear?

Yesterday was Christmas Day, and she spent it with Beca and her extended family while he spent the day with his own.  And as much as she enjoyed not having to worry about acting like she isn’t about to break his heart, she caught herself missing him.  More than once.  Are women supposed to feel this way when they’re about to break up with the man they love?

Her thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock on the doorframe and she turns to see Beca standing there.

“Hey, you coming?”

“Yeah.  Sorry.”  But she can’t bring herself to move from her spot on the bed.  She sees Beca give her a once-over as she enters.

“Okay, you have a really weird look on your face right now.  What’s wrong?”  Beca plops next to her.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Becs.”

“Do what?”

“End it.”  

She sees Beca clench her jaw.

“Oh.”

“Things were getting really bad in LA, but the past few days, he’s just been so sweet and amazing and it’s just like how we used to be.  And I love him so, so much.  I mean, we’re practically engaged.  The only reason he hasn’t proposed is because I made it clear that I won’t say yes until we live in the same state.”  She pauses to see if Beca wants to give her opinion, but she has no such luck.  “I don’t know what to do.  What should I do, Becs?”

Beca’s eyes instantly fall to her hands, staring at the thumbnail she’s preparing to pick at.  “I can’t decide for you, Chlo.”

_Yes you can.  You can say you love me back._

Chloe is alarmed that she even let herself have that thought.  Maybe it’s just the excitement of the holidays, of seeing Beca get along with her family.  Or maybe the stress from this whole Matt thing is just making her super emotional and scared.  Or who knows?  Maybe she’s just been suppressing this whole thing since that night at Cobalt.  Oh god, now is _not_ the time for things to become even more complicated.

Her face must be showing her emotional turmoil because Beca runs her hands though her hair and sighs.  “Crap.  Where’s Aubrey when you need her?”  She lets out a nervous chuckle, but Chloe can’t bring herself to laugh with her.  Not now.  “Okay, um...how about this?  Why don't you, like, picture your life five years from now.  Is he in it?”

He used to be.  In fact, before moving, Chloe had often pictured their future together.  They would fulfill all of the clichés.  Happily married.  Nice house with a white picket fence.  Have a few kids that they adore.  Even get that puppy Matt keeps asking for.  It would be perfect.

But now?  Now, she’s not so sure.  She can’t seem to picture anything past a year from now.  And in that picture, she’s still living with Beca, still teaching at the school, and still loving her life in LA.  And it doesn’t really bother her that that is what she’s picturing at the moment.  It doesn’t bother her that she actually likes the idea of that still being her life in the future.   

So what does that mean?

“I...I don’t know,” she stutters.

Beca sighs.  “Shit, I’m awful at this.  I’m sorry.”

 _“Girls?  You coming?”_ Mrs. Beale calls from downstairs.

“Be right down!” Chloe calls back, then huffs before she finally moves from her spot on the bed.

“Look, you have time to figure it out.  We don’t leave for another few days,” Beca says.

Chloe gives her a small smile.  She really appreciates that even though it’s basically hopeless, Beca is trying to make her feel better.  Dammit, why does she have to do that?

She takes a deep breath before she exits her room.  No more worrying about it today.  Right now, she’s going to enjoy her day with her boyfriend.  That’s that.

  

* * *

 

The rest of the day is pretty relaxed.  She and Matt show Beca some of their favorite spots in their town and it brings back a lot of nice memories.  When it’s time for dinner, Beca declines their offer to go out with them and opts to stay in and order takeout.

“My boss will kill me if I don’t have this new track done by next week,” she claims.  “Enjoy the alone time while you have it.”

Chloe is kind of disappointed that she will have to be without Beca.  She’s a little nervous to be alone with Matt.  They haven’t spent much time just the two of them since she has gotten back, and she really doesn’t want to talk about their relationship right now.  At least not while she’s still so confused about it.

To her surprise, they don’t talk about their relationship at all.  The conversation stays light-hearted and fun, and Matt is his typical sweet self.  Just like how he has been since the day they met.

 _Chloe walked down the hallways of Hampton Elementary School, desperately in search of the gym.  Shit.  It was her first morning and she was already going to be late.  On the first day, the kindergarteners were brought to the gym when they got off of their buses, stood with their class, and their teacher picked them up and brought them to the classroom.  Chloe was eager to meet her little performers for the first time.  Except she had to find the gym first.  Seriously, where the hell was it?  It’s not like it was hard to miss.  It’s the fucking_ gym _._

_She reached the end of the hallway and looked around the corner.  Damn.  Just another hallway full of classrooms.  She sighed, annoyed._

_“First day?”_

_Chloe turned to see a handsome guy about her age standing in the doorway of what she later learned was his classroom.  She had to use all of her energy not to blush at his adorable smile._

_“Is it that obvious?”_

_“Well, you do look kinda lost.  And I know I definitely would have remembered you if we met before.”_

_Damn.  So much for not blushing._

_The guy held out his hand.  “I’m Matt.  I teach first grade.”_

_Chloe shook it.  “Chloe.  Kindergarten.”_

_“Then I guess that means you’re looking for the gym, right?”_

_“I am.”_

_“Yeah, it’s kinda hard to find if you don’t know the school.”  He pointed around the corner.  “Go down this hallway and make a left.  It will be the third door on your right, but I’m sure you’ll hear it once you get close.”_

_“Thank you so much.  You’re a life-saver.”_

_“No problem.”_

_Chloe’s cheeks started to hurt from smiling so wide.  Damn, this guy was so adorable.  It was definitely going to be a good school year.  She motioned towards her destination.  “Well I should probably...”_

_“Go pick up the little ankle-biters?” Matt joked, but his eyes suddenly widened in horror.  “Shoot, sorry!  I say that lovingly, I promise.”_

_Chloe laughed.  “I figured.  See you around.”  She started walking around the corner._

_“Good luck!”_

To this day, she is still so thankful that she couldn’t find that damn gym because it brought this kind and caring person into her life.  He really is amazing.  Just about as close to perfect as she can get.  And right now, she’s not sure if she’s ready to lose him, even if they are going through a rough patch.

When they get back home, she barely even has time to put her purse down before he’s behind her, brushing her hair to the side, and kissing her neck.  She lets out a giggle.

“Somebody’s impatient.”

“What can I say?  I didn’t get to see you yesterday.”  He pauses to kiss her neck again.  “And we only have a few days left.”

She feels her stomach drop at his words, and she knows he can sense it.  He gently spins her around, cups her cheek, and kisses her on the lips.  She kisses him back.  Hard.  

He pulls his lips away from hers and kisses her neck again.  “God, I’ve missed you.”  He says between kisses.

“Baby,” Chloe says and pulls back a bit.

“Hey, don’t worry.  Beca said she’d be upstairs all night mixing with her headphones on.  And she told me she’d have her volume really high,” he says with a smirk.  “We’re good.”  Then his lips are back on hers.

Right.  Beca’s upstairs.  Beca’s here in Tampa.  Because she needed her.  Because she’s supposed to break up with the man she loves.  Shit.

“Babe,” she squeaks.

“I forgot how much I love kissing you,” he says in between kisses.

Fuck.  Why did she have to choose someone so perfect?  She feels a tear slide down her cheek.  Why does this have to be so hard?  She can’t do this, even if she does have a few days to gather her courage.  But she has to.  She decided in LA that she has to end it.  But she can’t crush him.

“Baby, stop.”  She doesn’t know what she intends to do when he stops, but she knows she needs a moment to breathe before she starts to hyperventilate.

He pulls back a few inches and gives her a once-over, his smile instantly dropping once he sees the tears.  “Are you crying?  What’s wrong?”

She sees the worry in his face and it just creates more tears.  This man cares about her so much.  How could she ever let him go?  “I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you, too.”  He wipes the tear that has just fallen, then leans in to resume kissing her.  She pulls away.  

He looks at her with the same worried face, this time his eyes staring deep into hers, searching for whatever is causing her so much pain.  “Chloe?”

“Matt, we...”  Shit.  She can’t do it.  Why did that even slip?  She wasn’t planning on doing it for another few days.  She’s not sure she was even planning on doing it at all.

Matt gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  “We what?”

And for some reason that she can’t figure out, that is what sends the words flying out of her mouth.  “We need to break up.”

“What?”  By the look on his face, he clearly thinks he misheard her.

“We need to break up.”

He just stares at her, his mouth hanging open.  She’s not sure if he’s still processing or if he’s just that shocked.  Probably both.

“I’m sorry, but it’s just not working anymore,” she continues, hoping that will help it sink in for him.

“Babe, what do you mean?  We seemed to be fine a minute ago.”

“Yeah, we’re fine now.  Because I’m here.  But once I go back to LA, it’s gonna get bad again.”

“Yeah, things aren’t ideal right now and we’re hitting some rough spots.  That doesn’t mean we should just end it.”

“Baby,” she sighs.

He comfortingly squeezes her shoulders.  “Look, honey, I get it.  You’re scared.  But once we figure it all out, we’re going to be fine.”

She can’t be suckered into his positivity right now.  She needs to do this.  She shrugs out of his touch.  “Maybe I don’t want to figure it out, Matt.”

“How could you not want to figure it out?  We’ve been together for over a year and a half.  You don’t want to fight for us?”

“I can’t anymore.  I’m tired.”

“So you’re just going to throw away everything we have?”

“We just need to go our separate ways.  I’m sorry.”

“God, Chlo, what did LA do to you?”

She feels a spark of anger in the pit of her stomach, a feeling that was all too familiar in LA.  Right.  This is why she's doing this.  “Don’t.”

“No, everything was fine until you moved there.  And the longer you lived there, the more consumed you got in your little life and the more distant you became.”

“Don’t blame this all on me.  You became distant, too.  And I _like_ my little life in LA with Beca.”  Oops.  Maybe she shouldn’t have said that last part.  

“Ah yes.  Because life is all bright and shiny with Beca.”  He breathes a laugh, but she knows it's out of anger.  “What, are you in love with her now?  Is the Bella bond stronger than we thought?” he yells sarcastically.

She knows he doesn’t mean it.  He’s just letting his emotions get the best of him.  But it still stings.  “Of course not!”  

She feels a pain in her stomach.  She isn’t big on lying.  In her opinion, it only creates more problems.  But in some cases, this one included, she is willing to make an exception.  She knows admitting she has feelings for Beca isn’t going to benefit anyone in this situation.

“Then what happened to you that’s making you think this way?”

“Stop acting like there’s something wrong with me!  There’s nothing wrong with me!  I’ve just accepted the fact that we are not what we once were!  And I’m not going to use up all of my energy hanging onto something that isn’t worth it anymore!”

“Well I still think you’re worth it,” he huffs.  “And I’m not going to just let you walk away from what we have.”  

It comes out angry, but Chloe can see how much she’s hurting him and it’s killing her.  She feels more tears fall.  “I’m sorry, baby, but you have to.  I’m not going to change my mind.”  She knows there’s nothing more she can say.  

“Chlo -”

“I’m going to go now,” she says gently and heads for the stairs.

“Chloe!"  He grabs her hand, but she yanks it away.  "Chloe, don’t walk away right now!  Chloe!”

She hears him following and breaks into a run.  She knows she’ll lose it if she sees his face - if she sees how much she has crushed him. 

She quickly makes it to the guest room door.  She runs inside, closes it, and locks it just in time.  Matt instantly starts knocking on it a little harder than he needs to.

_“Chloe.  Baby, come on, please don’t do this.”_

She turns her back to the door and sees Beca lounging on the bed.  The tiny brunette instantly slides her headphones off of her ears, her eyes widening in shock.  Wow.  Chloe must look even worse than she thought.

“Oh my god, are you okay?  What happened?”

“I...I did it,” Chloe answers, cringing at how sputtery it sounds through her crying.

_“Chloe!  You do not get to just walk away from this!”_

“He’s taking it well,” she says with a watery laugh, but it just makes her feel worse. 

“Come here,” Beca says gently, patting the spot on the bed next to her.  She outstretches her arms when Chloe plops next to her and lets her burry herself into her side.

Chloe feels hands run through her hair and she instantly feels her breathing begin returning to normal.

_“Chloe!  Open the door!  I just want to talk!  You owe me that!”_

Chloe squeezes her eyes shut, hoping that will make it go away.  Except it doesn’t work.

Beca must feel her body tense, because she suddenly reaches for her headphones.  “Sit up for a sec,” she instructs.  

Chloe raises an eyebrow, but does as she’s told.  Beca slips the headphones onto her ears.

“I’ve been experimenting with some new stuff.  Give it a listen and let me know what you think.”

Tiny fingers press play, and Matt’s voice is drowned out by the music. 

Something about having Beca’s headphones around her ears comforts her.  She finally understands why Beca used to wear them all the time to hide.  They’re armor.

She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and takes in the beautiful sound of Beca’s carefully-crafted melody.

The tiny brunette clearly knows what she was doing, because Chloe _has_ to listen to the music in order to give feedback, which means that she can’t think about what just happened with Matt.

 

About five songs later, the music stops and Beca looks down at her expectantly.  “Lay it on me.”

Chloe slides the headphones off.  “I really liked that last one.  Did you make it for Sia?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I’m going to play it for her.  It’s kinda different than her usual stuff.”  Chloe recognizes it as Beca’s insecure voice.

“Becs, you should play it for her.  She’s going to love it.”

She sees Beca give a small smile.  “Thanks.”

Remembering why she had to listen to the music in the first place, her eyes find the door.  Beca follows her gaze.  “He’s gone.  I heard his footsteps a few minutes ago.”

Chloe just stares at the door.  Even though the yelling has stopped and the room is quiet, Beca’s voice sounds far away.  And suddenly, Chloe can’t breathe.  Then her cheeks feel wet again.

Beca’s head instantly snaps in her direction.  “Chlo?”  She looks absolutely terrified as she springs into action, sitting up and touching her arm.  “Oh my god!  Chloe!  Breathe!”

But she can’t.  No matter how hard she tries, she cannot seem to get air into her lungs.  She knows what this is.  She’s having a panic attack.  She hasn’t had one since she started teaching.

“Hey, it’s okay.  You’re okay,” Beca assures her as she gently cups her cheeks, probably thinking it will calm her down.

Chloe instantly shrugs out of her touch.  Not even Beca can make this better.  “Nothing is okay, Beca!  I just crushed the man I love and I feel awful and we’re in his fucking house and we’re trapped in this room and this wasn’t supposed to happen and I’m a fucking terrible person and I don’t know what to fucking do!”  She begins gasping for air again.

“Shhh,” Beca whispers and rubs her back.  “Take a deep breath.”

Something about her calm tone snaps Chloe out of her frenzy and she does as she’s told.

“Good.  Um, we just gotta take this one step at a time, right?  I feel like that’s what you’d tell me to do.”  She grabs Chloe’s phone.  “I’m gonna call your mom, okay?  Maybe she can come get us in the morning.”

Beca holds the phone up to her ear.  “Hi, Mrs. Beale, it’s Beca actually...Yeah, she’s fine...Well, actually she could be better...Short version, she and Matt kinda broke up...Yeah so we’re here and we probably shouldn’t be....I think we’ll be fine for the night, but if you could pick us up in the morning that would be awesome...Okay, and can you maybe come on the earlier side?  We could try to get out of here before he wakes up.  It might be easier for her...Yeah, that’s perfect.  Thank you...I’ll tell her...Okay, goodnight.”  She places the phone onto the night table.

“She says she loves you, sunshine,” Beca says with a little smile.

“Kay,” Chloe grunts, not really caring.

Beca stares at her for a minute.  “Okay, you’ve had an emotionally exhausting night.  Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

“I definitely can’t sleep right now, Becs,” Chloe tells her as she wipes a tear away.

“Well, you won’t know until you try.”  Beca closes her laptop, then lays down and holds her arms out.  “Come on.”

After hesitating for a minute, Chloe moves over and buries her head into the crook of Beca’s neck.  She feels a hand gently run through her hair.

“Close your eyes,” the tiny brunette whispers.

Chloe does.  What Beca does next gives her goosebumps.  

Because she starts to _sing_.

_“When tomorrow comes, I’ll be on my own...feeling frightened of the things that I don’t know...”_

At that moment, Chloe no longer feels like her entire world is up in flames.  Not while Beca is singing to her.  She drapes an arm around her best friend’s middle, takes a deep breath, and lets the beautiful sound of Beca’s voice lull her to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, she wakes up still feeling like she’s been hit with a pile of bricks.  Except breathing suddenly gets a little easier because she realizes she is still cuddling Beca from the night before.  How did she get so lucky to have her?

Beca’s alarm suddenly rings and she feels movement next to her.  The tiny brunette reaches an arm out and silences the alarm, then looks to Chloe.

“Hey,” Beca says with a yawn.

“Hey,” Chloe replies.  She’s actually kind of surprised that her best friend didn’t press the snooze button.

Beca sighs, then rubs her eyes one last time before looking back at her.  “Ready?”

“I guess.”

They roll out of bed and not even bothering to get dressed, they gather their belongings.  Beca even volunteers to sneak into Matt’s room to grab Chloe’s suitcase.  She’s lucky that she was so busy spending time with him yesterday that she didn’t unpack it.  They leave undetected, and Chloe even manages to leave him a simple note.

 

_Matt,_

_I really am sorry.  I hope one day you can forgive me._

_Love,_

_Chloe_

 

Chloe is happy when her mother doesn’t ask questions on the drive home.  Actually, she’s completely quiet, other than saying good morning when she arrives and telling her to call her at work if she needs anything.  Chloe is thankful that her mother knows when she just needs to be left alone.

She is thrilled to be able to go back to bed when she gets home, and she’s even more thrilled when Beca instantly accepts her offer to share her bed.  She knows Matt isn’t going to break into her house or anything, but Beca makes her feel safe.

She manages to get through the day without sobbing uncontrollably (although she does cry a few times) and she and Beca mainly just lounge on the couch and watch trashy TV.  She suffers through an annoyingly quiet dinner with her parents, complete with them trying and failing not to look at her like she’s a wounded puppy.  Then she goes to bed and wakes up the next day to watch more trashy TV with Beca, except this time, there is no crying.

“Oh my god, how dense can you be?” Beca yells at Kim Kardashian on the TV screen.  “If fame ever makes me that superficial, you have my full permission to lock me in a room and blast Taylor Swift until I start thinking like a human again.”

Chloe wasn’t paying much attention and doesn’t really feel the need to respond, so she just gives a little grunt, hoping it will be enough.  She feels steely blue eyes give her a once-over.

“I feel like there should be one of those tiny cartoon rainclouds floating over your head.”

Chloe sighs.  Shit.  Beca’s right.  She’s not being much fun to be around right now.  “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I know you just went through a bad breakup.  But...sad just looks weird on you.”

“Sorry,” Chloe apologizes again, but she just doesn’t have it in her to be her typical bubbly self.  “I just feel so awful.”

“I know you do.  But I know you, and you wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t think it was the right thing to do.”

“Yeah.  I guess.”  Not wanting to talk about it anymore, she brings her eyes back to the TV screen, but Beca continues to stare at her.

The tiny brunette finally nudges her arm.  “Come on, let’s go to the beach.” 

“But it’s not even that warm out.”

“So?  We can just walk on the sand.  You know you want to.”

Beca shoots her a cocky smirk, the same one she wears when she cracks the code on how to mesh two new songs together in her mixes.

Chloe sighs.  “Grab your shoes.”

 

* * *

 

Chloe instantly feels better once she feels the sand between her toes.  Beca really does know her well, and she thanks the universe for the tiny brunette’s presence in her life for the millionth time since they got to Tampa.

They walk down the shoreline for awhile, making occasional small talk.

“Do you regret it?” Beca finally asks after they have fallen into a comfortable silence.

“No,” Chloe answers, thinking for another moment before she continues.  “I hate that I hurt him so much, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, I’m happy that I ended it.”  She smiles to herself when she realizes something.  “I actually feel kind of...free, I guess.”

“Free?”

“Yeah.  I love him, I really do, but I feel like everyone expected us to be the perfect couple.  I mean, you saw what our parents were like on Christmas Eve.”

Beca snorts a laugh.

“Picture that, plus our friends, plus our colleagues,” Chloe continues.  “It was like we always had to be happy.  We had to play the part.”

“And now?”

“Now I have no part to play.  Now I can just be me.”

“Oh no!” Beca gasps.  “Everyone’s gonna find out what a total weirdo you are!”

Chloe gives her a playful shove, and for the first time in days, she feels herself smile with her teeth.

They walk across the sand for a few moments in silence.

“Thanks for coming here with me, Becs.  The other night...I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without you,” Chloe says shyly.

Beca shrugs.  “Yeah, well I’m your aca-wife.  It’s my job.”

 

* * *

 

Dinner is a lot more energetic and fun than it had been the previous night, probably because Chloe's mood has improved.  Her parents probably realize that they no longer have to tiptoe around her, and everyone can just act like their normal, crazy selves.  Even Beca talks more freely now with her parents, and Chloe loves watching them interact.  

Back at Barden, she had always daydreamed of bringing her amazing girlfriend Beca Mitchell home to spend the holidays with her parents.  She had fantasized about Beca rolling her eyes at her dad's bad jokes, being doted on by her mom, and laughing with her brother.  She had pictured her parents obsessing over how cute they were, much like they did with Matt.

Even though she brought Beca home as her best friend instead of her girlfriend, she still can't help but enjoy the fact that this is almost as good as her daydreams.  Because her family really does love Beca.

Once they finish eating, Beca retreats to the living room with her dad to help him set up the speaker system he got for Christmas.

Chloe opts to help her mom clean up in the kitchen.  She happily takes the freshly washed plate her mom hands to her and begins drying it off.

“So...you broke up with Matt.”  

Chloe bites back a smile at how casually her mother says it.  _Subtle, mom._   “Yeah,” she replies.

“Any particular reason why?”  Her mom raises an eyebrow as she hands her another wet plate.

Chloe shrugs as she begins drying again.  “The long distance thing just wasn’t working for us.”

“Any other reason?”

“No...Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.”

But Chloe knows her mother all too well.  “Mom...what are you getting at?”

Her mom shrugs as she begins scrubbing a new plate.  “Nothing.  I just wasn’t sure if you were leaving him for somebody else or something.”

Chloe feels her entire body tense.  What?  Why would her mother be asking that?  She doesn’t know, right?  Like, how _could_ she know?

She scoffs, trying to play it cool.  “What?  That’s ridiculous!  Why would I do that?  Who would I even leave him for?”

“Good question.”

“Mom...”

"Chlo..."

“Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

“No, honey.  I was just asking a question.  All I care about is that you’re happy.”

“I am, mom.  I’m happy in LA.”

She takes a glance through the doorway and sees Beca playing with wires while explaining something to her dad.  She smiles to herself.  Yeah, she really is happy in LA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bring it on.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry that this took so long. This semester was ridiculously crazy and I had no time to work on this. But I'm back home now, and I'm going to finish this fic like I promised! Enjoy!

The days flew by and Beca managed to get her best friend through the rest of winter break.  Chloe had eventually recovered and returned to her normal bubbly self, and Beca was happy to have her back.  Sad Chloe just makes her want to beat the entire world up.

It has been a few weeks now, and in Beca’s opinion, they have been acting the same as they always have.  Except Chloe has seemed to care a lot less about personal space recently, which is surprising because she has never really cared about it in the first place.  Beca doesn’t mind, though...and she no longer has to feel guilty for not minding.  It’s comfortable the way they are.  Beca _likes_ how they are.

“Becaw!”

Beca is shaken out of her daze and looks to Jesse, who is staring at her with a skeptical smile.  “Hm?”

Jesse nods to the piano and mixing equipment that sits in front of him. “You asked what I thought of the progression.  I think the build needs to be longer.”

“Oh.  Okay, let’s try it.”

Jesse chuckles as Beca’s hands push buttons and turn nobs.

Beca likes mixing with Jesse.  It’s something they occasionally do when they’re particularly stuck.  They have different styles and different projects, but it’s always good to get another person’s input, or maybe even some new ideas.  And she likes being reminded of how talented her friend is.

The beat drops in the mix and Beca looks to him.

“Better,” Jesse says.  He leans back in his chair and takes a swig of beer.  “So, Chloe’s single now,” he casually points out.

Beca presses a button, adding a cool sound effect to the mix that’s still playing in the background.  “Yeah.  She has been for like a month now, dude.  Keep up.”

“You gonna seize the day?”

“What?  What does that even mean?”

“You gonna go for it?”  He nudges her in the arm.  “You know, like you did that night at Cobalt?”

Shocked, Beca lowers the volume on the mix and her head snaps in his direction.  “Dude!  What the hell?”

“Oh come on, Bec!  Don’t try to say you haven’t thought about it!”

“Why would I hook up with Chloe again?”

“Because she’s single now, so you can do it guilt-free.”

Beca scoffs and returns to assessing her mix.  “Dude, she’s my best friend.”  She does not want to have this conversation.  In fact, she doesn’t even want to think about that night.  It’s too confusing.

“And?”

_And you’re not supposed to hook up with your best friend.  Let alone enjoy it._

“And that would be weird.”

“Mhm.  Sure.”

She flips a switch and the sound of her mix changes again.  “Drop it Jesse.  It’s not happening.”

“Fine,” Jesse whines.  “But some work friends and I are going to that new dive bar tomorrow after work.  And you’re coming.”

“Um, no.”

“Um, yes.  I want you to meet them.”  He pouts like a little kid.  “Come on.  Come out with us.  Live a little!”

“Ugh, fine!  Now be quiet so I can figure out what’s wrong with this part.”

 

* * *

 

_“...So I pushed him into the lake.”_

Chloe leans in closer to her computer screen.  “Aubrey!  Did you really?”

_“Of course I did.  Nobody grabs my colleague’s butt and gets away with it.”_

Chloe cracks up as she pictures the whole thing.  Aubrey sure does know how to stand her ground.

 _“So how have you been doing?”_ the blonde asks her.

“Not bad.  It gets easier each day.”

Matt had finally gotten the hint and had stopped calling and texting.  Chloe really did want to make sure he was okay, and she occasionally still does, but she knows it’s better just to leave it alone.  She’s happy with her life right now, and hopefully he can find a way to be happy, too.  What Chloe had told Beca on the beach was true.  She really does feel more free.  There are no more expectations to live up to, nothing left to tie her down.  She can do whatever she wants...within reason, of course.

_“Do anything interesting recently?”_

“Beca and I have been spending a lot of nights in, which is nice.  I’ve been making her re-watch Grey’s Anatomy with me.  She’d never admit it, but I think it’s starting to grow on her.”

 _“Chloe,”_ Aubrey groans.

“What?”

_“Do you really think it’s a good idea to be...I don’t know...domesticating her?”_

“What do you mean?”

_“I’m just afraid you’re getting a little too comfortable with her.”_

“Well I do live with her.”

_“You know what I mean, Chlo.  I hate to be the jerk who reminds you of this, but you know what she said after that night at Cobalt.”_

“I know.  I just...I feel like the universe is just pushing me towards her.  First I get the job here, then she comes out to me, and now all the shit with Matt...Is that crazy?”

_“Yes.”_

Chloe can't help but giggle at how blunt her best friend is.  "Okay, okay.  Fine.  Let's talk about something else."

 

* * *

 

Chloe lays in bed, staring at page 183 of her book.  Except she's not absorbing any of the words on the page.  That conversation with Aubrey really got her thinking.  Sure, she has been a little more rebellious and flirty with Beca recently.  She hadn’t really expected to be, but she somehow can’t manage to stop herself.  She knows it’s probably not a good idea, even though she does love her, but she likes getting to flirt.  And she likes that Beca doesn’t really seem to mind.  So what’s the big deal?

She’s just about ready to give up on reading and get ready for bed when Beca enters the room and plops face-down onto her bed.  She hadn’t even heard her get home.

Beca releases a long groan.

“Fun night?” Chloe asks as she closes her book.

“Un-fucking-believable.  You’ll never guess what Jesse fucking did,” Beca hisses after she turns onto her back.

“What did he do?”

“This kid had the nerve to set me up with one of his coworkers!  Without telling me!”

“What?”  Chloe stiffens.  Beca was on a _date_.

“Well, I mean, he’s told me about her and stuff, but still!”

“So how’d it go?”  She’s relieved when it comes out casual instead of suspicious.

“Once I figured out it was a date, I left,” Beca grumbles.

Chloe feels her body relax.  _Thank god_.  Now she can go back to playing the part of "best friend" instead of "jealous lover."  “Why?  Did you not like her?”

Beca glares at her.  “Dude!  It was a setup!”

“And?”

“Did you not hear what I just said?  Set. Up.”

“What’s wrong with a setup?”

“If I date somebody, it should be because I want to, not because somebody told me to.  And it doesn’t even matter because I don’t think I want to date right now.”

Chloe stiffens again.  She makes sure to keep her tone soft.  “Why not?”

Beca’s tone softens, too.  “I...I don’t know.  I guess I just don’t really feel the need to.”

Chloe loves moments like these.  Moments where the tiny brunette lets her guard down and actually opens up to her.  There is no better feeling than when she asks Beca a personal question and she actually answers.  No better feeling than knowing that she has done the impossible and gained Beca’s trust.  “Why do you think that is?” she asks.

She watches Beca furrow her eyebrows as she stares at the ceiling, deep in thought.  

“I haven’t really gotten into anything serious since I’ve moved here.  Well, except for Natalie.  I just...I guess it just doesn’t seem worth it to me.”

“Do you think it would seem worth it if you found the right person?” Chloe probes.

The tiny brunette shrugs.  “I don’t know.  I mean, I’m fine how I am.”

“So, you don’t want to date?  Like, at all?”

“I don’t know.  I guess I just don’t see the point of it all.”

“To me, the point of it all is that when you find the right person, it’s like...it’s magical.  It’s kind of hard to describe, but there’s no better feeling in the world.  You just have to go for it and take the chance when you do wind up finding that person,” Chloe explains.  Wow.  She should really take her own advice.

“Yeah.  Maybe,” Beca grunts, then sits up.  “I’m going to turn in for the night.  I need to be well-rested so I can kick Jesse’s ass tomorrow as payback.”

Chloe giggles.  “Okay, killer.  Goodnight.”

 

* * *

 

Beca is immersed in creating yet another mix for Sia when she is rudely interrupted by her growling stomach.  She glances at the clock. 

Fuck.  She worked through lunch.

With a sigh, she grabs her lunch out of her bag and beings eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich Chloe made for her (because apparently she’s ten years old).  Wanting to look at something other than her mixing equipment, she pulls out her phone.  She raises her eyebrows when she sees a text from an unknown number waiting for her.

 

_Hey, it’s Emma.  Jesse gave me your number.  I hope that’s okay._

 

Oh.  Weird.  She types her reply.

 

**It’s cool.  What’s up?**

 

She’s surprised when her phone chimes with a response a minute later.

 

_Jesse told me what happened.  I’m sorry that he was his dumb self last night and pushed me onto you.  If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t know it was a setup either._

 

**Well, that’s Jesse for you.**

 

_Despite the awkward circumstances, I really liked hanging out with you and I’d love to get to know you a little better.  Would you maybe want to go for a drink one night this week?  This time without Jesse?_

 

Beca stares at the screen, internally debating.  It’s not like this chick was weird or anything.  In fact she was really nice.  And kind of dorky.  And she really knows her stuff about music.  She sees why Jesse likes her.  Maybe a drink wouldn’t be so bad.  Chloe did tell her to take a chance.  What could it hurt?

 

* * *

  

Chloe lounges on the couch, grading her class' latest worksheets.  As she places a "You're a star!" sticker on one and puts it in the pile with the other graded ones, she hears the door open and a familiar exhausted brunette enters the room seconds later.  She plops onto the couch next to Chloe, careful to avoid the stack of graded worksheets.

“Hey, how was work?” Chloe asks.

“It was fine,” Beca answers as she kicks off her shoes.

“Just fine?  They kept you really late tonight.”

“They actually didn’t.  Well, I mean, they did keep me past dinner, but that’s not why I was out for so long.”

“So are you going to make my life easy and just tell me, or do I have to keep asking questions?” Chloe teases.  She can’t help but notice the weird look on Beca’s face.

“It’s nothing.  I was just, like, on a date.  Whatever.”

“What?!”

She throws the worksheet into the pile with the others as her heart begins to pound in her ears.  Beca was on a _date!_

“It’s no big deal,” the tiny brunette says.  

But Chloe can see the faint smirk across her lips.  She quickly pulls herself together, making sure to keep her tone excited and lighthearted instead of interrogating.  “You didn’t tell me you were going on a date!  And who was it with?”

“Jesse’s friend Emma.  And I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think there was a point.  We were just going for drinks.  I didn’t expect it to go well.”

“...but it did?”

She sees Beca blush again.  She hasn’t seen her blush like that since Cobalt.

“Kinda.  We’re going to dinner on Friday,” Beca admits shyly.

There it is.  The sting.  That all too familiar pain from those years at Barden.

“That’s...”  _Keep it together, Chlo._   “That’s great, Becs.”

 

* * *

 

Chloe sits on the couch, trying to focus on the plot of whatever Lifetime movie is playing on her TV right now, but she can’t stop glancing at the clock.  Normally, she and Beca would be settled in on a Friday night like this, cuddling on this exact couch and watching more Grey’s Anatomy.  Except they’re not doing that tonight.  Because Beca is on a date.  Because Chloe was stupid and told her to take a chance.  Why did she have to do that?  Why couldn't she just say what she really wanted to say?

 Before she has the chance to dwell on it, she hears the sound of the front door open, and Beca enters the living room seconds later.

“Hey,” Beca greets.  She glances at the screen.  “You better not be watching Grey’s Anatomy without me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Becs.”  Her eyes follow Beca as she plops onto the couch next to her.  She tries to read her expression, but can’t seem to decipher it.  “How the date go?”

Beca shrugs.  “It was good.”

Normally, Chloe would excitedly push for details.  But this time, she stays quiet and silently thanks the universe that her best friend is so private.  Because she really doesn’t want to know how well this date went.

But apparently, the universe hates her.

“We actually wound up at my studio and I showed her some stuff,” Beca continues.  Her eyes fall to her lap and Chloe catches her blush.  “And we may have made out a little bit.”

Chloe’s mouth drops open.  Suddenly, it’s like she can’t breathe, and her stomach churns.  She somehow manages to blurt a “What?”

Beca gives a shy laugh.  “Yeah.”

Chloe can’t bring herself to speak.  How could she even get a word out when she feels like she just got hit with a pile of bricks?  She’s paralyzed.

“You okay?”

Of course she’s not okay.  She’s in love with her best friend, who is now starting to fall for someone else.  But she has to say something before Beca questions any further.

“Yeah, I’m just...surprised.  It usually takes you forever to warm up to people.”

“I know.  It was weird and unexpected.  But I liked it.”

Chloe swallows away the lump in her throat.   _Speak, Chlo!_ “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Becs.”  She instantly cringes internally.  _That_ was the best she could do?

Luckily, Beca doesn’t notice that it came out a little too happy.  “Yeah, she’s actually really cool.  Maybe we can all hang out soon.  I think you’d like her.”

“Yeah.”

She most definitely won’t.

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately, Beca was serious about Chloe meeting Emma, because a couple of weeks later, she finds herself staring at a dark haired girl with thick-rimmed glasses at Red Lobster.  Beca had suckered her into coming out with her, Emma, and Jesse, and Chloe had unfortunately run out of excuses to say no.  So here she is, watching Beca’s face light up as she approaches a smiling Emma and gives her a quick peck on the lips.

Chloe feels her stomach muscles tighten when she sees Beca blush as she pulls away.  But she shakes herself out of it, because Emma is now brightly smiling at her.

“You must be Chloe.  It’s so nice to finally meet you.”  

Chloe forces a smile.  “You, too.”

“I’m here.  The party can now begin.”

They all turn to see Jesse appear behind them.  All three woman roll their eyes.

“Who invited him?” Emma jokes, making Beca laugh.

“Wow, tough crowd.”

......

It’s the longest dinner of Chloe’s life.  Realistically speaking, it actually isn’t, but it sure does feel like it.  Chloe was right.  She does _not_ like Emma.  In reality, she has no reason not to like her.  She’s extremely friendly, fun to talk to, and she’s really sweet to Beca.  But Chloe can’t seem to get past her jealousy, so for the time being, this girl is her new worst enemy.

Emma and Beca aren’t overly touchy or anything, but it’s still too much for Chloe.  She resists the urge to shoot this new girl a glare when she refers to Beca as “Becs.”  She wants to scream at her when she makes Beca laugh.  And she entertains the idea of stabbing Emma with her fork when she reaches for Beca’s hand and intertwines their fingers together.  She entertains the idea even more when she realizes that Beca doesn’t even flinch when she does it.  Hey, jealousy is a powerful thing.

It gets to the point where she can’t watch anymore.  She needs to be able to breathe again.  So she calmly excuses herself and heads to the bathroom.

She instantly splashes cold water on her cheeks and looks at her reflection in the mirror as she takes a few deep breaths.

Why did she do this?  Why did she let herself fall for Beca again?  She should have heeded Aubrey’s warning.  Because now, she’s forced to watch another woman make Beca - _her_ Beca - fall for her.  And there’s nothing she can do about it.  Even if she were to tell Beca how she feels, it would already be too late.  Beca likes Emma now, and Chloe is just going to have to deal with it, no matter how much it hurts.

Why did this have to happen?

 

* * *

 

Chloe manages to suffer through the rest of dinner and keeps a smile plastered onto her face for the rest of the night.  Luckily, nobody noticed it was fake.

When she gets home, she instantly gets ready for bed, shuts her door, and crawls under her covers.  She has had enough of this day.  She finds herself staring at her ceiling and praying that it gets easier from here - that eventually, seeing another woman make Beca smile won’t be so hard to watch.

She hears a soft knock at the door.  “Come in,” she calls.

The door slowly opens and Beca, now dressed for bed, trudges in.  Without a word, Beca hops into bed next to her and crawls under the covers.  

“Becs?  What are you doing?”

Beca shrugs.  “You seem sad.  And usually when you’re sad you ask me to sleep in your bed with you.  But for some reason, you didn’t ask this time, so I’m just gonna do it anyway.”

“I’m fine, Becs,” Chloe assures her.

“Yeah, well, I’m not getting up again.  So you’re just gonna have to deal with me all night.”

Chloe cracks a smile, and when she sneaks a peek at Beca, she sees that the tiny brunette is smiling back at her.  And suddenly life is a little bit better.  At least for now.

“Wanna talk about it?” Beca asks gently.

“Nope, I’m okay.”

“Do you need me to beat someone up?”

 _Yeah.  That woman you were just making out with_.  “No.”

“Okay, well if you change your mind, let me know.  Remember, I do have a criminal record.  I’m kind of a badass.”

Chloe can’t help but giggle.

“Hey!  It’s true.”

“I’m aware.”

Chloe reaches over and turns off her lamp, then snuggles into Beca’s side like she normally does.  She takes in Beca’s scent and feels her body relax.  But she can’t seem to stop wondering how much longer she’ll get to do this before Beca decides she’s in love with Emma.

“Goodnight Becs,” she whispers.

“Night, Chlo.”

 

* * *

 

A few more weeks go by and Chloe’s prayers are not answered.  Emma and Beca have been spending a lot of time together lately and it has not gotten any easier to watch.  Chloe has avoided as many invitations to hang out with them as she can, and when they hang out in the house, she retreats to her room.  It’s just too hard.

She’s sitting on the couch, grading spelling tests when Beca plops onto the cushion next to her.

“Sup, weirdo.”

“Hey.”

“So me, Emma, Jesse, and his girlfriend are going to Cobalt in a little bit.  And you’re coming with us.”

Chloe doesn’t even look up from the stack of papers.  “Bec, I can’t.  I have to grade these.”  Making that excuse is like a routine at this point.

“Those spelling tests will still be there in the morning.”

“Beca -”

“No excuses.  I’m not gonna let you become one of _those_ teachers who spends their Friday nights sitting at home organizing their stickers.  You’re too young for that.”  Chloe finally looks up to see two steely blue eyes staring back at her.  And today, those eyes are damn stubborn.  “Come on, Chlo.  You haven’t been out in weeks.  Come have fun with us.”  

Knowing she’s stuck, she looks back at the spelling test she is in the middle of grading.  Beca suddenly takes the pen out of her hand.

“Becs!”  She reaches for the pen, but Beca playfully holds it out of reach.

“Please?”

“Beca.”

“Pleeease?”

Chloe stares at the pen for a moment, then sighs.  Guess she’s not getting out of this one.  “Fine.”

“Knew it would work,” Beca says with a smug smile as she hands the pen back to Chloe.  “I’m gonna go get ready.”  She heads upstairs.

Chloe releases another sigh and she plops the stack of spelling tests onto the coffee table.  Tonight is definitely going to suck.  But hey, at least she can get drunk.

 

* * *

 

“Bottom’s up!” Jesse cheers as the group raises their shot glasses and throws them back.  Chloe winces as the liquid flows down her throat.   Luckily, this is her second shot and, paired with the Malibu Bay Breeze she just started sipping, she is on her way to being drunk.

“Babe, come dance with me!”

She looks to see Emma playfully tugging at Beca’s arm.

Beca shakes her head.  “No thanks, I’m good.”

“C’mon!  You do this every time.  First you say dancing isn’t your thing, then once you have a few shots and I ask again, you change your mind,” Emma whines.  “Pleeeease?”  She gives Beca a playful kiss on the lips.

Beca rolls her eyes in an attempt to hide the fact that she’s blushing.  “Fine,” she groans.  She takes Emma’s hand with a smile and they head into the crowd of dancing people.

“They’re so cute,” Stephanie, Jesse’s girlfriend, squeals.

“You know, I did that,” Jesse brags.

Chloe takes a long sip of her drink.  _Yeah, thanks a lot, Jesse_.

“Hey.”

She turns to see a guy about her age wearing a shirt that's way too tight.

“Hi,” she replies, just to be polite.

“I can’t help but notice you’re getting low there.  Can I buy you another drink?” he asks.

She sees right through the move.  “No thank you.  I’ve had enough for now.”

“Oh, okay.  Would you like to dance, then?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested,” she says gently.

“Okay.  Sorry to have bothered you.”  He walks away.

Chloe takes another sip of her drink and goes back to watching Beca dance with Emma.

 ......

Eventually, Beca gets tired of smiling like an idiot and grinding up against her new girlfriend because Chloe suddenly spots her heading in her direction.

“Hey, nerd!  What are you doing here all by yourself?” Beca asks.

Chloe shrugs.  “Just hanging.”

“Dude, down that drink and come dance with us.” 

Chloe can’t help but notice how smiley the tiny brunette is.  And how her breath smells like tequila.  “You’re drunk,” she informs her best friend.

“That would be true,” Beca agrees, then gives her a playful nudge.  “Don’t be such a grandma.  Come have fun with us.”

Chloe takes another swig of her new drink.  “I am having fun.”

“You know what I mean.”  Beca stares at her for a minute, but clearly doesn’t get the reaction she wants.  She tugs at Chloe’s hand.  “C’mon.  I’m Beca Effin’ Mitchell and I want you to come dance with me.”

Unable to help the smirk that crawls into her lips, Chloe stands and downs her drink.  Beca’s smile widens as she drags Chloe into the crowd of dancing people.

At first, it’s fine.  She and Beca dance next to each other, and it’s just like it used to be.  Just the two of them letting loose and having fun.  But then, Beca gravitates towards Emma and starts dancing with her.  And Chloe can’t help but notice how Beca is dancing with Emma the way she danced with Chloe that night they kissed.  And the jealousy comes flooding back.

“I’m going to get another drink,” Chloe yells over the loud music.

“Need me to come with you?” Beca asks.

“Nope, I’m good.”  She hurries away before Beca has the chance to protest.

She reaches the bar and finds Benny.  “Hit me with something strong.”

“You okay, Chloe?” he asks.

“Fine.”

He hands her a shot and she downs it right away.  She welcomes the tingling feeling in her throat and prays that it will be strong enough to make her stop feeling everything for awhile.  She puts the empty shot glass back on the table and notices Benny looking at her.

“Want to talk about it?” he asks.

“Nope.”

He takes the hint and leaves.

Chloe glances at Beca and Emma again and the all too familiar sting returns to her chest.  Why did she let Beca convince her to come tonight?  Why did she let herself do this?

“Excuse me?”

She turns to see a handsome, chiseled man about her age standing next to her.  He holds out his hand for her to shake.

“I’m Mike.”

Chloe shakes it.  “Chloe.”

“You have really pretty eyes, Chloe,” he tells her with a smile.

She smiles back, but she sees right through that line.  Men are so unoriginal these days.  “Thanks.”

“Would you like to dance?”

She opens her mouth to turn him down, but catches another glance at Beca, who is now grinding up against Emma.  She’s smiling.  She’s _happy_.  With _Emma_.

Chloe glances back at Mike and gives him a once-over.  He has a nice build.  And warm brown eyes.  And his wavy brown hair looks really soft.  She could do much worse.  What could a little dancing hurt?

“Okay,” she agrees.  She takes his hand once he offers it to her and lets him lead her into the crowd.   And she doesn’t let herself look at Beca for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

Beca drowsily puts a K-cup into her Keurig and yawns as she presses the start button.  She leans against the counter and waits.  

How do people get up before ten on weekends?  Who would actively choose to do such an awful thing?  Not that she had a choice this time.  Emma had to get up early to go to some family thing, and annoyingly enough, Beca couldn’t fall back to sleep once she left.  So she figured she’d be productive and use the extra time to work on her Sia album.  After she has had her caffeine, of course.

She pours milk into her coffee, stirs, and takes a sip.  Instantly feeling more alive, she grabs a piece of bread and throws it in the toaster.  She drank a lot last night and needs something in her stomach.

She glances at the clock and wonders if Chloe will be making an appearance soon.  She had a lot to drink, too, except she rarely gets hangovers, which is, like, super annoying in Beca’s opinion.  Wait, did she even see Chloe when she got home last night?  Did Chloe even _come home_ last night?

She takes another sip of her coffee and tries to remember.  She was dancing with Emma...and then she saw Chloe dancing with that guy...and she looked like she was enjoying herself.  And then she remembers Chloe disappeared...and got a text a few minutes later from her saying she was leaving with that guy.  Then she remembers getting home with Emma and stumbling to her room...and that’s right!  Chloe’s door was closed, which means she definitely got home safe.  Good.

The toaster pops and Beca begins buttering her toast.

She can’t help but think about how weird it all is.  Chloe always stayed with her at Cobalt.  She never went home with a guy.  Granted, for a long time she was in a relationship, but even after that, she usually hung out with Beca all night.  She’d occasionally go dance with somebody, but she’d always gravitate back.  Except this time, she didn’t.

Beca takes a bite of her toast.  She doesn’t know why it’s bothering her.  And she doesn’t know why she’s even wasting the time thinking about this.  Chloe should be able to dance with guys.  She’s attractive and single.  She’s allowed to do what she wants.  She’s allowed to have fun.

Beca’s thoughts are interrupted when a tall, built man walks into the kitchen and looks at her, confused.

“Um, hi,” he says.

Beca stares at him.  “Hi...”

“Is Chloe here?  I, uh, I woke up to an empty bed.”

Beca glances at the time on her phone.  “She probably went for a run.  She’s usually gone for awhile.”

“Oh.  Okay, cool.  Guess I’ll be going then.”  He awkwardly heads for the doorway.  Beca glares at him as he leaves.

Shit.  Looks like Chloe had a sleepover.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I meant to update a few days ago, but then the new season of Orange is the New Black was released and I got distracted. My bad!

Beca releases a long yawn as she sits at the kitchen island and breathes in the strong scent of her coffee.  As she raises the mug to her lips to take that heavenly first sip, a random guy enters her kitchen, throwing on his shirt as he walks.  He nods at her and gives a quick “sup” before he disappears.  She hears the front door open and close seconds later.

Beca sighs to herself and stares at the swirling brown liquid in her cup.  

This is the second time this week that her morning has started with a random guy walking through her home, and she knows it won't be the last.  Which would be fine...if it wasn’t a different guy each time.  But that’s the problem.  Chloe brings home a different dude every night with the occasional repeat.  Beca doesn’t even know what to expect in the morning anymore.  Some guys have been nicer than others.  Some smile and say hi while others do the walk of shame.  Beca’s personal favorite was the guy who asked if she would share her breakfast with him.  That dude was a clear display of how drunk Chloe was the night before, and Beca was delighted to give him a piece of her mind on his way out.

“Shit shit shit!  I’m so late!”

Beca looks up to see a frazzled Chloe run into the kitchen.  Despite being drunk the night before, so looks extremely put together.  One would think she spent the night in, grading papers like normal teachers do instead of finding a hookup at Cobalt.

“Good morning to you, too,” Beca calls.

The redhead throws a K-cup into the Keurig and opens the fridge to pack her lunch.

“Sorry, Becs.  I didn’t mean to ignore you.”  She throws what Beca recognizes to be a container of salad into her lunchbox.  “He was chatty and it took me awhile to get him out.”

“And does _he_ have a name?”

“Ryan.”

Beca is always amazed by how Chloe always remembers their names, because personally, she can’t keep them straight anymore.  It’s only been about a month, but still.  It’s getting kind of crazy.

Chloe pours her coffee into her travel mug and stirs in some milk and sugar.

“You going to be home tonight?” Beca asks.

“Not sure yet,” Chloe answers as she pops the lid on.  “I might go out again.”

“Aren’t you tired?” 

“I have endless energy, Becs.  You know that.”  Chloe grabs her lunchbox, purse, and travel mug and hurries for the door.  “See you later!”

“Bye,” Beca mumbles.  She takes another long swig of her coffee when she hears the door close.

She’s not sure she can get used to this.  This whole Chloe-hooking-up-with-random-guys thing.  Sure, Chloe is allowed to have her fun.  Except she’s been acting kind of different lately.  Beca is kind of surprised by how nonchalant she’s being about this whole thing.  She can’t stop thinking about how indifferent Chloe was when she got back from her run the morning after she brought that guy Mike home.

_Chloe enters the kitchen, wiping beads of sweat off of her forehead.  She flashes Beca a smile.  “Hey, Becs.”_

_“Hey.”  Beca watches Chloe move to the fridge and grab a bottle of juice just as casually as she does it every Saturday morning.  “Um, there was some dude in here looking for you this morning.”_

_“Crap.  Sorry.  I figured he’d just get the hint and leave when he woke up and saw I wasn’t there.  Guess not.”  She downs half of the glass in two gulps._

_“It was that bad, huh?”_

_Chloe shrugs.  “Nope, he was fine.  I just didn’t want to deal with the whole morning-after awkwardness, ya know?”_

_Beca furrows her eyebrows.  Since when does Chloe find any situation awkward?  “So...you’re not going to see him again?” she probes._

_“Wasn’t planning on it.”  She downs the rest of her orange juice.  “I’m gonna shower.”_

Beca still can’t believe Chloe was so nonchalant about it.  The redhead has had a few one night stands in the time they have been friends, but Beca doesn’t ever remember her going about them like _that_.  Chloe had always treated her one night stands well.  She would always walk them to the door, thank them for a great night, and say goodbye.  A few times, she has even made them breakfast before they left.  

Except now, she acts like she couldn’t care any less about them.  She either scoots them out as fast as she can in the morning or ditches altogether so she doesn’t have to interact at all.  It’s weird.  And completely un-Chloe-like.  And Beca isn’t so sure that she likes it.

Her phone buzzes on the table next to her and she glances at the screen.

 

_Hey, babe!  Bossman says I don’t have to stay late tonight.  Takeout and a movie at your place?_

 

Normally, Beca would tease her about how they both know Emma will just analyze the musical score the whole time, but this morning, she somehow doesn’t have the energy.  Instead, she types a simple:

 

**Sounds good.**

 

_Awesome.  See you later :)_

 

Beca glances at the time on her phone as she places it back onto the table.  Shit!  Now _she’s_ late for work!

 

* * *

 

Beca checks her phone screen for what is probably the tenth time since she and Emma started this dumb movie an hour ago.  12:42am and no Chloe.  She’s still at Cobalt.  

“You seem kinda distracted, Becs.  Is everything alright?”

“Chloe still hasn’t texted me back.”

“Relax.  She’s probably having fun and isn’t checking her phone.  It _is_ Friday night after all.  She’s allowed to stay out late.”  She slowly runs her hand up Beca’s leg.  “Plus it means we have the place to ourselves for that much longer.”

Still not breaking her staring contest with the wall above the TV screen, Beca gently pushes Emma’s hand off of her leg.

“You okay, babe?” Emma asks.  

Beca can feel her eyes on her.  “Yeah.  I’m just not feeling it tonight.”

“I’m sure Chloe is fine.”  

“I know.”

That’s a lie, though.  Chloe is definitely not fine.  And to be honest, neither is Beca anymore.  She is really letting this whole Chloe thing get into her head.  She can’t focus on anything lately.  Not on work...not on her extremely hot girlfriend who keeps trying to ease her mind...Emma always used to be able to make her day, and now, it’s like Beca has become immune to her or something.  Maybe it’s just because Beca is so distracted, or maybe it’s something else altogether.  Whatever.  Beca has no desire to delve into her thoughts and emotions to figure it out.

All she knows is that she just can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong with her best friend, and she can’t seem to stop worrying about her.  She has even found herself waking up in the middle of the night and getting out of bed to make sure Chloe made it home.  And even then, that only eases her mind a little bit.  That doesn’t change the fact that Beca doesn’t know who any of these guys are (and neither does Chloe, for that matter) or that she has absolutely no idea why Chloe is acting like this.

This is all getting to be _a lot_ , and Beca just wants to stop feeling like her life is out of control.

“Clearly movies are not the best way to distract you,” Emma points out.  “How about we work on that new track I’ve been struggling with?  You _did_ promise you’d help me, and it will definitely keep your mind busy.”

“It’s worth a shot, I guess.”

  

* * *

 

Chloe leads the tall brunette with the pretty green eyes to the front door.  Unfortunately, he was awake before she had the chance to sneak away.

“This was fun,” he tells her with a smile.

“Yeah,” she agrees and opens the door.

“So...I’ll text you?”

She makes sure to keep the innocent smile on her face, even though she knows she won’t be responding to him.  Normally, she wouldn’t be opposed to keeping in touch, but this guy is just too boring for her.  “Okay.”  

He gives her a peck on the lips.  “See you.”

“Bye.”

Chloe drops the smile after she shuts the door.

She used to like the morning after.  The moment where she’d wake up to see her lover smiling down at her.  The moment where she’d cuddle into him and take in his warmth and forget about the rest of her life.  

But now she hates it.  The smile means nothing and the warmth is not the same.  Because every time she wakes up, she is just reminded of how empty she feels.  And how no man that she has slept with has been an adequate distraction.  She knows she shouldn’t be doing this - going out, finding a random guy, and sleeping with him every few nights - but she can’t bring herself to stop.  She needs that distraction every night, even if it is only for a few hours.  She needs a break from the emptiness.  From the pain.

She heads into the kitchen to find Beca sitting at the island as usual, sipping at her coffee.

“Morning,” she greets and puts a K-cup into the Keurig.

“Morning,” Beca grunts.

Chloe can’t help but notice that something about the way Beca is staring into her coffee cup seems off.  Maybe she is just extra tired and grumpy this morning, or maybe it’s something more.  The tiny brunette speaks again before Chloe has the chance to ask.

“Hey, want to, like, watch a movie or go grab ice cream or something later?”

“You don’t have plans with Emma?”

“No.”

Chloe is surprised by that.  Usually, Beca and Emma spend most of their time on weekends together since their work is so unpredictable during the week.  It’s been awhile since Beca has been alone on a weekend.  Just last Friday, she remembers seeing Emma and Beca lounging on the couch and eating takeout like an old married couple right before she went to Cobalt.  “Oh.”

“I, um...”  Beca’s eyes find the coffee cup again and Chloe knows that this isn’t just Beca’s usual morning grogginess.  “I’m actually not seeing her anymore.”

Chloe can’t believe her ears and almost drops her cup of coffee.   _Beca is...single?_ “What?  Since when?”

“A couple of days ago.”

Chloe takes a breath.  She is feeling way too many different emotions right now, but she can't rush back down this road again without thinking it through.  Plus, she knows she needs to keep it together for her best friend.  “What happened?  You guys clicked so well.”

“She’s awesome, but it just...didn’t feel right.  Maybe it was the timing.  I don't know.”

_Dammit, Beca.  Making yourself available is not helping._

But Chloe pushes those romantic thoughts away and lets her platonic instincts kick in.  She wraps her arms around Beca and gives her a tight hug.  “I’m sorry, Becs.  Are you okay?”

Beca shrugs.  “Yeah.  She was pretty cool about it.  There was no yelling or anything.  It’s all good.”  But Chloe knows her best friend, and she can tell that even though Beca was the one to make the decision, it still bothers her.

 “So...ice cream for dinner?” the tiny brunette asks.

“Absolutely.”

 

* * *

 

A few weeks pass, and even though Beca broke up with Emma, it hasn’t stopped Chloe from hooking up with people.  She knows that there’s no point in trying with Beca.  Aubrey's right.  If the tiny brunette wanted her, she would have done something after Cobalt, or at least given her some sign.  She has just accepted that her chance with Beca is over.  Plus, it’s only a matter of time before she finds someone else because let’s face it, Beca is a total catch, so Chloe might as well keep distracting herself.  

Except tonight, she’s not going to Cobalt or any of the general bars in the area.  Tonight, she’s going to Beca’s work party.  Infinity is celebrating its seventh anniversary and Chloe couldn’t bring herself to turn down the invitation when Beca asked.  She figures Beca is probably still upset about Emma and doesn’t want to go alone, so as Beca’s best friend, she is happy to go with her.

So she plays the roll of the excitable best friend.  She listens as Beca tells her who all of the important people are.  She smiles and shakes Beca’s colleagues’ hands.  She drinks a few glasses of champagne.  And she actually has a good time hanging out with Beca.  The music industry sure does know how to throw parties.

“Hey, I have to go talk to the head of one of our partner labels real quick.  Will you be okay by yourself?” Beca asks.

“Of course, Becs.  Go schmooze.”

Beca throws back her last sip of champagne.  “I’ll be back in a few minutes.  Hopefully.”  She stands and heads away.

In the absence of her best friend, Chloe just sits at the table where Beca left her, calmly watching the crowd.  Some people are deep in conversation, some people are on their phones, some are clearly artists sharing their recording experiences with each other, and some people are dancing (because it’s not a music industry party without dancing).  

Chloe’s eyes find Beca, who is standing with a group of important-looking men.  She can’t help but smile at how the tiny brunette’s entire demeanor changes as she embraces that Beca Effin’ Mitchell confidence while she talks to them.  She then sees Beca start talking with her hands and releases a giggle.  She may be doing professional music things, but she’s still the same old Becs, and Chloe loves that.

Suddenly she notices movement out of the corner of her eye and turns to see a very attractive man take Beca’s seat and place a new glass of champagne in front of her.

“Hi there.”  He flashes her a wide smile and nods to her empty champagne class.  “You were running low.”

Chloe shoots him a polite smile.  “Thank you.”

He holds out his hand for her to shake.  “I’m Jake.”

Chloe shakes it.  “Chloe.”

“I’ve never seen you at one of these things before.  You new?”   

She instantly feels a certain confidence radiating from him, which kind of reminds her of her best friend’s confidence that she loves so much.  It just makes him even more attractive.

“I’m actually just here with my friend Beca,” she replies.

“Beca Mitchell?”

“Yeah.  You know her?”

“Yeah.  We used to work together, but my boss transferred me to Constellation, one of Infinity’s sub labels to help build that brand up.  Beca’s cool though.”

“Yeah she is.”

Jake takes a sip of his champagne then leans back in his seat, getting more comfortable.  “So what do you do, Chloe?”

“I’m a kindergarten teacher,” Chloe answers.

Jake’s smile grows even wider and he lets out a chuckle.  “That actually doesn’t surprise me.”

“Why?”

“You’ve got the whole...” he gestures his hand around her, “...bubbly thing going on.”

Chloe laughs.  “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Hey, Chlo.”

She looks up to see that Beca has come back.  And looks significantly less happy than she did when she left.

“Sup, Mitchell,” Jake greets.

Chloe thinks she sees the tiny brunette’s jaw clench.

“Jake.”  Beca looks to Chloe.  “Chlo, I want to introduce you to a couple of my clients.”

“Okay.”  Chloe stands and flashes Jake a bright smile.  “It was nice meeting you, Jake.”

“You, too,” he replies.

To Chloe’s surprise, Beca instantly takes her hand and leads her away. 

“So why haven’t you ever mentioned Jake before?” Chloe asks.  “He’s super cute.”

“Trust me, he’s not the guy for you.”

“Why?”

Beca stops walking and turns to face her.  “Back when we were coworkers, he was always a total ass to me.  He once stole my portable drive and refused to give it back until I gave him one of my clients’ numbers so he could ask her out.  I refused.  If I hadn’t backed up all of my mixes, I would have had to start from scratch.  And he stood up my boss’ assistant twice.  That’s why he doesn’t work at our label anymore.  Once Ricky found out, he transferred him.”  She steals a glance at him as he has a conversation with a coworker.  “Look, he’s just bad news, Chlo.  You can do so much better.”

“Okay, Becs.”

“Let’s meet some artists shall we?”

......

Chloe leans against a wall, somewhat away from the crowds of people.  She likes this party and she likes getting to meet Beca’s colleagues and clients, but she needs a quick breather.  Plus, the room is is starting to look a little blurry and the music feels a little faint in her ears.  Must be the champagne.  Beca ran off to schmooze again anyway, and Chloe is happy to take a little break from all of the music industry talk.

“Funny running into you again.”

She turns to see Jake standing next to her with his same charming smile.  He hands her another glass of champagne.

She knows she should walk away after what Beca told her, but she can’t bring herself to.  She’s just drawn to that smile and that confidence.  And the fact that she is pretty much drunk doesn't really help, either.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” she asks.

“Only if you want me to.”  He leans his arm up against the wall so he can face her.  “So, does spending time with all those little kids give you time to date?”

“Smooth,” Chloe laughs.

“What?”

“That line. You know...trying to find out if I’m single without directly asking.”

“Alright, you caught me,” he laughs.  “So...are you?”

“Yeah.  I’m not looking to get into anything right now.  I’m just having fun,” she explains.

“Really?  That’s kind of funny, because so am I.”

“Oh yeah?” Chloe playfully asks.

His leans in closer...a lot closer than he should be.  But Chloe doesn’t really care.  It kind of takes her by surprise when she realizes her heart is pounding.  And in a good way.  She’s completely entranced by this guy.

“Yeah,” he answers. 

He flashes her that charming smile once again, then his gaze falls to her lips.  That’s it.  She has to do it.  With a flirty smirk, she leans in.

“Chlo.”  It comes out stern, like a mix between a warning and a “what the fuck?”

Lips millimeters away from Jake’s, Chloe turns to see that Beca has returned and is now glaring at her.

“Beca!” she squeals with a smile.  She instantly bounces over to the tiny brunette and drunkenly drapes an arm around her.

“What are you doing?”

“I was just getting to know Jake a little better.”  She shoots Jake a wink and he gives her a smile in return.

“I think you two are acquainted enough.  Come on, let’s go.”  Beca begins nudging her along.

“I’ll be back,” Chloe calls to Jake as she lets Beca lead her away.

“No, she won’t.”

Beca pulls her to a quiet corner.  She doesn’t waste any time once they stop walking.  “Dude, what the hell was that?”

“I was just having a little fun,” Chloe giggles, then pokes Beca in the cheek,  “ _dude_.”

“Chlo, I told you he’s bad news.  Why were you still going for it?”

“It’s not like I’m gonna date him, Becs.  Sleeping with him once isn’t going to make a difference.”

“Even after I told you that he was awful to me?  What happened to that Bella bond, Chloe?”

“Relax, Becs,” Chloe groans.  “You’re getting too worked up about this.  It’s really no big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me, okay?  I don’t like seeing my friends hook up with actual garbage.”

She can see that what she did really bothers her best friend.  She hasn’t seen that look of disappointment in Beca’s eyes in a really long time.  Probably since the second time she intentionally failed a class so she could stay at Barden.

“Okay, fine.  I’m sorry,” she apologizes, then drunkenly pokes Beca in the cheek.  “Please forgive me?”  

“You’re drunk.  We should go home.”

“Becs, I’m fine,” she whines.  But then she loses her balance and stumbles for a second.

“Chlo.  Now.”  It’s stern.  And kind of scary.  Chloe isn’t going to argue.  She lets Beca lead her towards the door with her tail between her legs.

 

* * *

 

Chloe follows Beca to the kitchen.  Still feeling fuzzy from the alcohol, she leans against the island.  She knows she messed up.  The tiny brunette barely spoke to her in the car, and now her movements are stiff as she makes her way to the fridge.  Chloe didn’t mean to upset her.  She just really wanted to use Jake to fill the void.  It actually seemed like it would finally work, too.

Beca hands her a bottle of water.  “I know you don’t get hangovers, but you should still stay hydrated.”

“Thanks.”  Chloe accepts the water and takes a swig.  Beca leans against the counter and stares at her feet.  The silence is chilling.

Chloe screws the cap back on and takes a breath.  “Beca, I’m sorry that I almost kissed Jake.”  Steely blue eyes find hers, and she takes that as a sign to continue.  “I was really drunk and I just...I haven’t wanted somebody that badly in awhile...and I just...did it.”

The steely blue eyes drill a hole in her skull as Beca just stares at her for a moment.  Then she finally breaks the silence.

“What’s with you lately?”

“What do you mean?” Chloe asks.  That was not the response she was expecting.

“You’ve been super weird for almost two months now.  I don’t know, you’re, like, not _you_.”

Chloe rubs her forehead.  She is so not ready for a confrontation.  She knows she’d do a better job convincing her best friend that nothing is wrong while she’s sober.  “Becs, I’m too drunk to be doing this right now.”

“Yeah, you’ve been getting drunk a lot lately.  You never drank this much at Barden,” Beca persists.  Her stern gaze never leaves Chloe.

Chloe shrugs.  “So?  We’re not at Barden anymore.”

The tiny brunette throws her hands up.  “Of course that would be your response right now.”

Chloe can see her best friend’s anger building.  She has seen it before and recognizes all of the signs.  Very soon, the tiny brunette is going to blow.  So Chloe might as well give her the push.

“If there’s something you want to say, Beca, just say it.”

Beca takes a breath.  “Fine.  I’m worried about you, Chlo.  Something is clearly up with you and for some reason you won’t tell me about it.”

“You’re being ridiculous.  I’m fine.”

“What happened?  Is there some problem you’re drinking away?”

“What?  No!”

“If there is, you can tell me.  I want to, like, help.”

At first glance (and probably second glance, too) many people would think that Beca doesn’t really care about people. But Chloe quickly found out that that isn’t true, and she knows that if those people saw the way Beca was looking at her right now, they’d think much differently.  She can’t help but notice how her best friend looks almost hurt at the moment.

But she can’t let herself crumble in front of her.  She can’t let Beca know the truth.  No matter how much it winds up hurting either one of them.  Revealing the truth would make it worse.

“Beca, nothing is wrong.  I’m just enjoying being single and having a good time while I’m still young enough.  That’s it.  Don’t make it into something that it isn’t.”  Beca shoots her a glare, and she knows that if she lets this continue, it won’t end well.  She calmly stands.  “I’m going to go to bed now.  See you in the morning.”

She feels those steely eyes on her as she walks away and they burn like crazy.  But she doesn’t dare to look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was so depressing. But hey, a volcano has to heat up before it explodes, right? So...who is ready for this volcano to blow?


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take cover, people!

They didn’t talk about it after that - about that night, about what Chloe has been doing to herself.  Beca has really wanted to bring it up again, but by the way Chloe reacted last time, she figures it’s better to drop it.  At least for now.  The last thing she needs is so drive her best friend away because she pushed too hard.  Making Chloe feel the need to isolate herself is definitely not going to help her get over whatever problem she is avoiding.  So Beca has decided she will consider readdressing it after some time has passed.

It’s been almost three weeks since that fight, and Beca now finds herself walking towards the entrance to the Lodge of Fallen Leaves.  She and Chloe had been planning this trip for a few months.  During Chloe’s school break, they would fly to Georgia so she could visit Aubrey and so Beca could visit her dad for a couple of days.

Beca is actually happy to get a break from everything.  Between the breakup, work, and all of this Chloe stuff, she’s gotten pretty exhausted.  The change of scenery is refreshing.  And who knows?  Maybe a mega dose of Aubrey Posen will whip Chloe back into shape.

Beca’s ears are suddenly pierced with a loud squeal and her hands shoot up to cover them.  She watches Chloe run past her and attack Aubrey with a hug.

“I missed you so much,” Beca hears Chloe mumble into Aubrey’s shoulder once she reaches the two of them.

“I never should have let you move across the country,” the blonde says.  She then glances at Beca.  “And look!  It’s the grumpy little dwarf who stole you away from me.”  She releases Chloe to give Beca a quick hug.

“Nice to see you, too, Posen,” Beca replies.

“Marcus,” Aubrey calls.  A tall man in a Lodge of Fallen Leaves polo emerges from around the corner.  “Can you take their bags inside please?”

He nods and gets to work.

“Why couldn’t you ever ask me to do anything that nicely?” Beca snorts.

Aubrey shoots her a glare.  “You know what?  As a welcoming gift, I’ll ignore that.  Drinks on the patio?”

“Now you’re talking,” Beca whoops.

“I’ll meet up with you guys,” Chloe says as they start walking.  “That car ride made me have to pee so bad.”  She heads for the entrance.

Beca waits for Chloe to disappear through the doorway, then looks to Aubrey as they continue walking.  She had hoped they would get a minute alone.  “I need to talk to you about something.”

“You actually look serious,” Aubrey points out in surprise.

“Yeah, well, it’s about Chloe, so I guess you could say that I am serious.”

“What’s wrong?  Is she okay?”

“She says she is, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

They reach the patio and sit on the cushioned chairs.

“Elaborate,” Aubrey demands.

“I don’t know, it’s like all of a sudden, she has become this party animal.  And I don’t mean like how she was at Bella parties.  I mean full-on going out every few nights, getting drunk, and bringing a different guy home each time,” Beca explains.

“That doesn’t sound like her.”

“I know.  And I tried taking to her about it, but she just shrugged me off and acted like I was making something out of nothing.”  Beca looks down at the nail she realizes she has been picking at and sighs.  “She won’t talk to me and I don’t know why.”

“Well she hasn’t said anything about any of this to me.”

“I’m kinda worried, dude,” Beca admits.

“You guys didn’t get drinks yet?” Chloe calls as she appears from around the corner.

Beca and Aubrey’s heads snap in her direction.

“We were waiting for you,” Beca lies.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Aubrey whispers as they both rise to follow the redhead to the minibar.  

“Thanks.”

 

* * *

 

The two days go by pretty quickly, but Chloe enjoys every second of them.  She and Aubrey barely left each other’s side, and they spent the entire time gossiping and laughing together.  Chloe can’t help but appreciate how nice it has been to escape all of her problems from home and just spend time with her best friend.  Spend time not hurting.  She can’t believe that it’s time to leave already.

She sits across from Aubrey at her desk and thinks about how almost a year ago, she was in this exact same spot, afraid to see Beca after five years.  Aubrey is even staring at her the same way she had that day, almost like she’s analyzing her or something.

“Do I have something on my face, Bree?”

Aubrey seems to come back to reality.  “No, you’re fine.”

“I’m just that pretty to look at, huh?” Chloe jokes.

Aubrey must not think it’s very funny because she leans back in her chair and sighs.  “I talked to Beca.”

“Okay...”

“She says you haven’t been yourself recently.”

Chloe tenses when she realizes where this conversation is going.  Just when she thought she could escape it all!  She can shrug her way out of a conversation with Beca, but Aubrey?  Well, she’s a lot tougher to crack.

“She’s being overdramatic,” Chloe assures her best friend.

“Something tells me this time she isn’t.”  The blonde waits a moment for Chloe to answer, then continues when she is met with silence.  “Chlo, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.  I’m totes fine.”

“Getting drunk at bars most days of the week?  Sleeping with random guys?  You consider that fine?”

There she is.  Bella Captain Aubrey Posen makes her return.  Chloe knows she’s basically screwed, but she’s not going down without a fight.

“I’m just having a little fun.  Is that a crime?”

“What is going on with you?”  She sounds almost shocked.  Maybe even a little disgusted.  It kind of makes Chloe’s stomach churn.

“Why are you making such a big deal about this?” Chloe pushes.

“Because I suddenly feel the need to spray you with a can of lysol to kill all of those germs those guys are giving you, and then follow that up by smacking some sense into you.”  She takes a second to let that sink in for the both of them.  “Beca is right.  This isn’t you.  You’re being reckless!  And not your usual Chloe reckless.  _Bad_ reckless.  Why the hell are you doing this to yourself, Chlo?”

“Because I’m in love with her, okay?!” Chloe blurts, frustrated.  “I’m in love with Beca!  My _best friend!_   I know I told you I was over her, but I’m not!  So sue me if having a few drinks and blind sex helps me forget about it for a few hours!”

She hears a small thud behind her before Aubrey can reply.  She snaps her head around to find her worst nightmare.  Standing in the doorway is a wide-eyed Beca, who looks like a deer in headlights.  Her bag is at her feet.

Chloe’s heart nearly stops beating.  Beca just heard _everything_.  And the tiny brunette does not look like she’s taking it well.  All those months of hiding her feelings to save the friendship, and now she has ruined it.

She doesn’t know what she can possibly do to ease this situation, so she throws her hands up.  “Well, there you go.  Secret’s out.”  She rises, pushes past Beca, and darts out the door.  Yup.  The only way to get out of this is to run.

“Chlo–” she hears Aubrey call from behind her.

And if her hearing is as good as she thinks it is, she hears Beca call her name, too.  But she keeps her legs going.  She needs to get out of here.  She needs to turn back time.

 

* * *

 

Beca stands next to Aubrey’s desk, leaning her arm on the chair Chloe had been sitting in to keep her balance.  Because the room is kind of spinning at the moment.  She feels the blonde’s eyes on her from across the desk, but she can’t care.  She hasn’t been able to move or speak for a few minutes now.

_I’m in love with Beca!_

That’s, like...a lot.  That’s really the only way she can describe it at the moment.  Chloe has been acting so crazy because of...her?  Beca isn’t sure if she actually heard it or hallucinated it.

“Um,” she starts, then stops herself to choose her words.  “She, um...she has feelings for me?”

“Yeah,” Aubrey confirms quietly.

“Like, more-than-friends feelings?”

“No, Beca.  She just ran away distraught because she’s _platonically_ in love with you,” Aubrey snaps.

“Now is not the time for your sarcasm, okay Posen?” Beca barks back, then takes a moment to absorb the information.  So all of the touching...the flirty comments...that wasn’t just Chloe being Chloe?  “How long?” she squeaks.

“Awhile.  But I think that’s something you should talk about with her.”

That’s right.  They’re going to have to _talk_ about this at some point.  Chloe is going to expect her to _say_ something.  To talk about her _feelings_.  

And how does she feel about this exactly?  About Chloe being in...she can’t even say the word in her own head.  And how the hell is she supposed to figure out how she feels about the situation when there are about a million different thoughts screaming at her all at once?  How is it that an hour ago she was rolling her eyes at her father’s bad jokes and now she can barely even breathe?

“Look,” Aubrey starts.  “I’m not going to tell you how to handle this, but just...do it gently, okay?  It’s _Chloe_.”

Yeah.  It’s _Chloe_.

 

* * *

 

It’s been a half hour, and Beca still hasn’t been able to have any coherent thoughts since Chloe ran off.  All she has done is sit in Aubrey’s office and stare at her stupid cup of pens on her desk.  That and try to ignore Aubrey’s glare.

“What are you going to do, Beca?” the blonde finally asks.  It surprisingly comes out pretty gently.

“I...I don’t know.  I...I can’t _think_.”

She doesn’t get it.  How does Chloe love her?  _Why_ does Chloe love her?  What has she ever done to win the affection of someone so...flawless?  Kind-hearted?  Not to mention, insanely attractive.  It barely even feels real.

“Ms. Posen, the car is here,” a lodge attendant calls from the door.

“Thank you,” Aubrey replies, then looks to Beca again.

“Chloe isn’t back yet,” Beca points out.

“She will be.  She’s scared, not stupid.  She knows you have a flight to catch.”  

That does not provide Beca with any comfort.  She is so not ready to deal with this.  To actually function now that she has this information.  She hasn’t even made sense of it yet.  And now, she’s going to have to sit next to Chloe on a plane for hours.  With no escape for either of them.

“Let’s get you settled while we wait, shall we?” Aubrey suggests as she gets up from her desk.

Beca’s feet feel like they’re made of lead, but she forces them to move towards the doorway and outside to the front of the lodge.

Exactly three minutes after they put her and Chloe’s luggage in the trunk, Beca spots a blob of red emerge from the tree line.

Chloe shamefully keeps her gaze on the ground as she approaches the car.  It kind of breaks Beca’s heart.

“Chlo–” Beca begins.  

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Chloe cuts her off.

Beca nods in acceptance.  She doesn’t know what she would have even said anyway.  She turns to Aubrey.  “Until next time, Posen.”  They give each other a quick hug.

“Take care of her, okay?” Aubrey whispers before she pulls away.  

Beca nods, then hops into the back seat of the car and watches Aubrey give Chloe a sad smile.

“My father always said: love is a smoke rised with the fume of sighs.  But it’s going to be okay.”

“Your dad really said that?” Chloe asks.

“That last part was my own addition.” 

The redhead finally gives a little smile and pulls Aubrey into a hug.

“Text me when you land, okay?” the blonde asks.

“Of course.  Love you, Bree.”

“Love you, too.  Hang in there.”

Chloe slides into the other side of the back seat and gives Aubrey a last wave.  As the car pulls away, she keeps her gaze glued to the window, careful to avoid looking at her best friend.  Beca wishes she would look at her - even if it’s just once - so she can know that she’s okay.  But the redhead doesn’t move.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the trip home goes the same way.  Chloe avoids eye contact whenever she can, and the women only speak to each other when it comes to navigating through their commute home.  Other than that, it’s like they’re strangers.  And Beca doesn’t like it.

They finally make it back to their house, and Beca cannot ignore the wave of comfort she gets once she steps through the door.  Finally, some normalcy.

She throws her keys on the end table and looks to Chloe, who is still avoiding eye contact.

“So...want to order a pizza or something?” she suggests.

“I’m just going to go to bed,” Chloe mumbles, already wheeling her suitcase towards the stairs.

Beca knows not to push.  Sometimes even her favorite redhead needs time to herself.  “Okay.  Um, see you in the morning?”

“Yeah,” Chloe mumbles, then heads up the stairs.

After ordering the pizza, Beca plops onto the couch.  She only moves when the pizza arrives, but then it’s back to the same spot.  She takes a bite of the slice, then plops it back onto her plate.

So Chloe loves her.  As in “wants to go on romantic dates and do cute girlfriend-y stuff with her.”  

But does Beca love Chloe back?  

It doesn’t even take two more bites of pizza for her to find her answer.  Of course she does, deep down.  She doesn’t know when it started, but she knows that the feeling has to be there and has probably been there for awhile.  What other explanation could there be for Chloe being the only person who can make life less sucky?  Why she’s so protective?  Why she always feels so much more at ease when Chloe is around?  And it sure as hell would explain that night at Cobalt.  There has to be something stronger than just platonic love there. 

She takes a swig of her beer.

The real question is whether or not it’s possible for her to bring that feeling - that _love_ feeling - to the surface.  She’s not quite sure how that’s supposed to work.  She hasn’t _loved_ somebody since Jesse. And there definitely wasn’t this much on the line with him.

Shit, can Beca even do this?  The whole girlfriend thing?  With _Chloe?_

Then she remembers that it’s her favorite redhead - the most sweet and understanding person that she knows.  She may suddenly be in love with Beca, but she’s still that same person.  All Beca has to do is talk to her about it and tell her the truth: that she has no idea what she’s doing, but she’s willing to try.  Chloe will totally understand and walk her through it.  Because that’s just the amazing person Chloe is.

So it’s settled, then.  Beca is going to talk to her.  She’s going to take a risk and give this a shot.

Tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Beca plants herself at the kitchen island and casually sips her coffee, just like she does every morning.  She steals a glance at the time on her phone and cringes.  Seriously how does society expect people to function at this hour?  It doesn’t help that she got up a little earlier than usual.  She actually has awhile before she has to get ready for work, but she forced herself out of bed early anyway.  She doesn’t want to miss her chance to talk to Chloe.  Sure, she doesn’t expect them to get into a super deep conversation, especially not at this hour, but she does want to at least tell Chloe that she doesn’t have to worry anymore.  That there _are_ feelings there.  The rest they can talk about tonight.

Beca is two sips away from being done with her coffee when Chloe enters the kitchen, looking kind of flustered.  “Morning.”

“Hi,” the redhead mumbles and heads straight for the tower of K-cups.  She grabs the first one she sees and plops it into the Keurig.  She places her travel mug under the dispenser. 

Beca's stomach is in knots.  Here goes nothing.  “Hey, um, do you have a minute?”

“Nope, I’m already late.”  Chloe doesn’t even look at her as she heads out of the kitchen.

Beca glances at the time on her phone again.  “Dude, you have like an hour,” she calls after her.

“I have to be there early today,” Chloe calls back.

Beca hears the jingling of keys, and Chloe reappears seconds later with her jacket and her purse.  “Oh, um, okay."  She watches Chloe pour some milk and sugar into her travel mug.  “Maybe later then?” she tries.

Chloe screws the cap onto her travel mug.  “Maybe,” she mumbles in a way that leads Beca to believe she has no intention of talking to her later.  She then hurries out of the room.  

“Bye?” Beca calls, mostly to herself than to the redhead.

She hears the front door open and close and she sighs.  She tries not to be bothered by the fact that Chloe was so eager to avoid her that she didn’t even pack lunch.

 

* * *

 

Beca nervously walks down the hallway and approaches the familiar white door.  Chloe’s door.  Yesterday morning was a total bust, and Chloe totally disappeared last night.  The redhead was out of the house before Beca even made it downstairs this morning.  Clearly, she’s avoiding her.  So now, Beca is going to have to corner her.  In a good way, of course.

She stares at the door that used to be open all of the time.  She notices a chip in the paint towards the top for the first time ever.  How long has that been there?

It’s weird.  She’s never had to hesitate like this before.  Even when the door was closed, she has never been afraid to knock.  But this time is different.  This time, that knock is going to change everything.  This time, the knock will hopefully be the start of a new adventure.  One that feels kind of _right_.

She raises her fist to knock, but it freezes midway to the wood.  She can’t move it.

_She had found Natalie pouting on a bench outside of what had come to be their go-to Italian restaurant for date night.  Beca had known she fucked up again.  And she had known Natalie was going to say something about how she had been an hour late to dinner, but she didn’t expect her to threaten to end their relationship._

_She remembers the devastated look on Natalie’s face like it was yesterday._

_“I can’t keep doing this with you, babe.  We’ve talked about this.”_

_“I’m sorry.  I’ll try harder.  I...I want this to work, Nat,” Beca had begged._

_“Beca, can’t you see that you’re hurting me?”  In that moment, Beca had really thought Natalie was going to start crying, and it absolutely killed her.  “Just let me go.  It’s better for both of us.”_

Beca suddenly realizes why she can’t move her hand.  She has spent the past day or so thinking about whether or not she can bring her feelings to the surface.  Not once has she thought about whether or not it was a _good idea_ to do so.

Is it?

Natalie was constantly smiling, and Beca was the one person to wipe it right off of her face.  Chloe’s smile is even brighter and more beautiful than Natalie’s.  Does Beca really want to be the one who takes it away?

From the way she has been acting so destructively, Chloe really _really_ loves her.  How is she going to take it when Beca screws it up?  Because if she’s being honest, Beca will definitely screw it up somehow.  It’s in her workaholic nature.

Does she really want to destroy Chloe?  Does she want to do that to her _best friend?_

Beca knows that the way things are right now, it’s crushing the redhead.  But she can’t help but think that it would crush her even more if they try a real relationship and it all winds up going to shit.  Chloe would never be the same.  And Beca can’t handle that.

She forces her hand back down to her side.

She can’t do it.  It’ll hurt for awhile, but eventually, Chloe will get over it.  It’s for her own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. This volcano isn't done exploding yet. 
> 
> Also, in case you were wondering, Aubrey's father's words of wisdom are actually a Shakespeare quote. Shout out to my dude William!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This one is kind of short. It was supposed to go with the next chapter, but I felt kinda bad about ending the last one on such a depressing note and wanted to give you guys something to look forward to! Hope you like it!

It has been two days since Beca had froze at Chloe’s door, and the two Bellas have barely spoken two words to each other since then.  It’s not like Beca hasn’t _tried_ to talk to her best friend.  Chloe either just avoids her or gives one-word answers.  Beca tries to push away how awful it makes her feel.  She misses her best friend.  But she knows that Chloe needs time to work through it all, and she can’t really fault her for that.  This situation really sucks, though.

Beca is getting ready to leave work when her phone rings.  She raises her eyebrows when the caller ID pops up, then holds the phone to her ear.

“Miss the sound of my voice already, Posen?”

_“Why haven’t I gotten an excited and probably graphic phone call from Chloe saying you two finally did it?”_

Beca doesn’t know why she’s even surprised that she’s being greeted with yelling.  Same old Aubrey.

She releases a sigh.  “Because you never will.  I’m not going to do anything.”

_“Excuse me?”_

“You heard me.  I’m just going to leave this whole thing alone.  Eventually, it’ll simmer down and she’ll start acting normal again.  She just needs time,” Beca explains.

_“Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more idiotic.”_

Beca rolls her eyes, and she knows Aubrey can practically hear her doing so.

_“Beca, you can’t possibly think that Chloe, your best friend that you claim to know so well, is ever going to get over this.”_

“She could.”

_“No, Beca, she won’t.  Because this has absolutely crushed her.  And even if she successfully manages to fool you into thinking she has, it’ll never be the same.  That girl has been in love with you for most of the time you’ve been friends.  Your friendship without Chloe drooling over you would be completely different.”_

“Well -”

_“And don’t you dare try telling me that you don’t love her back, I know you do, in your own weird way.  The entire world knows.  Except you, apparently.”_

Beca sighs again.  She really doesn‘t want to be told how she feels about Chloe.  Or what she’s supposed to do about it.  “Aubrey...”

_“I don’t want to hear your excuses.  I’m going to hang up now because yelling at you has given me a headache.  I better get a phone call within the next few days.”_

Beca just accepts it.  There’s no point in arguing with Aubrey, whether she intends to do what she says or not.  They would be here all week.  “Always great to hear from you, Posen.”

_“I’m aware.  Oh and Beca?”_

“What?”

_“Just fucking do it.  Before you lose her for good.”_

Beca is then greeted with the sound of the dial tone.  Releasing an annoyed sigh, she grabs her bag and heads out.

 

* * *

 

Chloe stands at the kitchen counter, quickly grabbing a knife and a piece of leftover chicken to put into her salad.  She’s gotten quite speedy with her meal preparation recently.  She likes to spend minimal time in the kitchen and living room in fear that Beca will make an appearance.

She’s done a pretty good job avoiding Beca so far.  It’s really inconvenient and it hurts like hell - she really misses her best friend - but this is just how it needs to be for now.  If they don’t talk about it, it can’t get worse, right?

She hears the front door open and her hand starts moving the knife faster.  Shit.  She was starting to think that Beca was being kept late at work.  Guess not.

“Oh.  Hey,” Beca greets as she enters the kitchen.

“Hi,” Chloe mumbles.

There is an awkward silence as Beca grabs a beer from the fridge and sits at the kitchen island.

Chloe’s hand chops faster.  The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board almost echoes through the dead silent room.  It makes the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.  She thought she’d be used to the uncomfortable silence by now.

“So, um,” she finally starts, “you don’t have to worry anymore.  I’m looking for a new place.”  It tastes like poison coming out of her mouth, but she knows it’s for the better.  She had to tell Beca eventually.

Beca is silent for a moment, and Chloe assumes it’s just taking a minute for the tiny brunette to process.  As she throws the knife into the sink, she catches a glimpse of Beca studying her expression, then her eyes widening.

“Wait, are you serious?” Beca asks.

Without a word, Chloe moves to the fridge and grabs the salad dressing.

“Chlo, you don’t have to move out.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.  I...I don’t want you to.” 

Chloe can hear the desperation in her best friend's voice and it’s almost like she can physically feel her heart shattering into pieces.  But the damage has already been done, and there’s nothing she can do about it.  She needs to be out of this house.  Then she can heal and they can eventually go back to being friends.   _Just_ friends.

She drizzles the dressing onto her salad and places the bottle back into the fridge.  “Why?” she asks. 

She really does want to know the answer.  Why would Beca want to live in the same house as someone who is hopelessly in love with her?  With somebody she doesn’t love back?  How is that good for either one of them?

“Because I -”  The tiny brunette catches herself, then pauses to choose her words.  “Because you’re my best friend.”

If Chloe’s heart hadn’t been fully shattered a minute ago, it most definitely is now.  This is all her fault.  If she hadn’t been stupid and caught feelings, none of this would be happening.  She wouldn’t be causing her best friend so much pain. 

Fighting the urge to tear up, Chloe grabs a fork.  “I’m doing it.  It’s better this way.”  Wasting no time, she heads for the stairs.

“Chlo-”

But Chloe ignores her.  As she heads up the stairs, she thinks she hears the tiny brunette mumble a frustrated “Shit.”

 

* * *

 

Beca sits at the kitchen island, staring at the same bottle of beer that she grabbed when she got home over an hour ago.  She hasn’t been able to take a sip.  Actually, she hasn’t really been able to move since Chloe went upstairs.

Was she really serious?  Does she really want to _move?_   Is she _that_  hurt about this?

Beca isn’t really the mushy type, but she kinda figured that she and Chloe would live together for awhile.  Probably until one of them wound up moving in with a significant other.  If she’s being honest, she really likes living with Chloe, and she hasn’t been this happy since she lived with the Bellas.  Living under a roof without Chloe just doesn’t feel right anymore.

She hears footsteps coming down the stairs and Chloe appears in the doorway.  The redhead stops in her tracks for a second once she sees Beca is still in the kitchen, but then heads straight for the sink and begins washing her bowl.

“Please tell me that you weren’t actually serious about moving,” Beca blurts in a way that even surprises herself.

Chloe doesn’t respond.  Her posture doesn’t even change like it normally does when she feels awkward, and for a moment Beca wonders if her best friend even heard her.

“Chloe,” she attempts again, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “I need you to tell me you didn’t mean it.”

Chloe shuts off the water and begins drying her bowl with a towel without a word.

Beca feels like she’s going to throw up.  She knew it was going to be bad, but this?  This is a whole new level of bad.  And it’s fucking terrifying.

“Will you just talk to me, Chlo?  Literally, about anything.  I don’t care.  Just speak words.”

Chloe places the bowl back in the cabinet and turns to face Beca for the first time since she came back downstairs.

“I don’t have anything to say, Becs.”  Leaving it at that, she turns and walks out of the kitchen.

“Chlo!” Beca calls, but she knows it’s no use.  She can already hear footsteps going back up the stairs.  She stares at the empty doorway.

Is she going to lose Chloe?

Posen is right.  This problem isn’t just going to go away.  They will never be how they once were.  She needs to do _something_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so close!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I ran into some mental health issues over the summer and needed to focus my attention on that for awhile. But I promised I'd finish this so I'm back! As always, thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy it!

Chloe lays in bed, watching Parks and Recreation on her laptop.  But even Amy Poehler’s hilarious jokes can’t distract her from the fact that she’s felt like total crap for the past week.  She and Beca have barely spoken two words to each other since their last conversation about Chloe moving out.  Actually, Beca has been out of the house a lot lately, probably burying herself in her work.  Even though Chloe has been trying to avoid the tiny brunette, the house feels empty without her.

Her phone vibrates from the nightstand.  With an annoyed sigh, she scoots over to see who is calling her.  Beca.  She stares at the name for a moment, debating whether or not to answer.  She really doesn’t want to talk to the tiny brunette.  She’s still too embarrassed and she doesn’t want to risk their conversation getting too deep.  Then again, Beca prefers texting over talking on the phone.  She wouldn’t be calling unless it’s important. 

Chloe presses the answer button and brings the phone to her ear, giving a quiet “Hello?”

 _“Hey,”_ Beca breathes.  She must have been worried that she would be sent to voicemail.

“Everything okay?”

 _“Well, actually, I uh–”_ she takes another breath, _“Can you just, like, meet me at the studio?”_

Chloe sits up, suddenly nervous.  “What’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

_“Yeah I just...I need you to come here.  It’s kind of important.”_

Chloe is already heading to the closet to grab a pair of shoes.  “Beca, what’s going on?”

_“I’ll meet you in the lobby.”_

“Beca –”  But the line is already dead.

 

* * *

 

Chloe books it into the lobby, quickly scanning the room for the tiny brunette.  She spots her emerging from the area of elevators behind the front desk. 

She flashes Chloe a smile.  “Hey.  Perfect timing.” 

To Chloe’s surprise, she does not appear to be the walking ball of anxiety she thought she’d be.  She looks a little nervous, but she’s definitely composed.  Beca grabs the guest pass from the secretary at the front desk and leads Chloe to the elevators.

“I’m glad you came,” Beca says.

“You going to tell me what’s going on?” Chloe asks as the tiny brunette presses the up button and the door opens a second later.

“I, uh, I kinda need you to listen to something,” Beca replies as they enter.  She presses the button for level eighteen.  The elevator jolts and they begin to move.

Chloe feels her entire body heat up, filling with rage.  “Are you kidding me?” she exclaims.  “That’s what the big emergency is?”

“Yeah,” Beca shrugs.

“I sped all the way over here thinking you were having some crisis just because you need me to listen to a _new_ _mix_?”

“It’s really important,” Beca tells her as the elevator door opens.  She steps out, but Chloe doesn’t follow her.  Beca turns back around.  “Come on.”

“No.  I’m leaving,” Chloe announces, crossing her arms.  The elevator door begins to close and Beca has to put her arm in the way before it shuts completely.

“Chloe...”

“I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now.”

Beca throws her head back and groans.  “Look, I’m sorry I freaked you out.  But we both knew you wouldn’t have come if I didn’t over-exaggerate a little bit.”  The door tries to close again, and Beca jumps before she remembers her hand is still blocking it from closing.

“Beca, what kind of messed up game are you trying to play with me?”  Chloe blinks back tears.  She will not let Beca see her break right now.  “You know how I feel about you and you’re taking advantage of it!”

“Chlo, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear.  And I feel terrible about everything that’s been happening between us.  But please, just come with me.  It’ll be so worth it, I promise,” Beca begs.  “You already drove here.”

Keeping the scowl on her face, Chloe slowly exits the elevator. 

Beca breathes a sigh of relief.  “Thank you.” 

She leads Chloe to the empty studio. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” the tiny brunette tells her as she makes her way to computer. 

Chloe fights the urge to make a snippy comment.  There is no way she can be comfortable right now.  This entire situation is so fucked up.  But she knows better than to pick a fight, so she just plops into the swivel chair by the switchboard.

Beca reaches into her pocket and her face pales when her hand comes out empty.  She frantically reaches into the other pocket and exhales a sigh of relief as she pulls out the flash drive.  “I’m, like, really nervous for you to hear this,” she admits as she plugs the flash drive into the fancy computer.  She looks to Chloe with a faint smile.  “You ready?”

Still annoyed, Chloe shrugs.  She knows she’s going to love the song, whatever it is.  She always loves Beca’s music.  But she’s not going to act all excited this time.  She’s too hurt.

Beca takes a deep breath.  “Okay.  Here goes nothing.”  She presses the play button and leans against the desk, nervously shaking her leg as the song begins.

Chloe keeps her arms crossed along with her stone cold expression.  That is, until she recognizes the song.  It’s My Confession, the demo they made for Stevie back when she interviewed for her teaching job.  Except Stevie isn’t the one singing the lyrics.  

It’s _Beca_.  

The tiny brunette has taken some liberties with the song, changing a few of the lyrics and adjusting the style to better express her sound.  Chloe even hears the faint sound of Titanium playing in the background.  She can’t hold her scowl for any longer.  The song sounds amazing.

She looks at Beca, who is staring at her intensely with those steely blue eyes.  Like she’s trying to read her expression.

Wait...why is Beca showing her this?  Why _this_ song?  Is...is Beca making a confession?

The song ends, but Chloe can barely tell because she’s too distracted by how hard her heart is pounding.  

She looks up at Beca again.  This time, the tiny brunette is smiling at her.

“I...I think I love you, too.”  

Chloe’s heart pounds even harder.  No.  Those words definitely wouldn’t come out of Beca’s mouth.  She has to be hallucinating.

“...what?” she squeaks.

“I love you, too, Chloe,” Beca admits.

Wait.  She actually looks pretty serious.  What is happening right now?

Chloe struggles to make words.  “I...I don’t understand.  That day at the lodge–”

“I was being a stupid idiot.”

“Becs, I... _what?”_

Seriously, _what_ is happening right now?  Beca...likes her back?

“It kinda took some time for me to process it all, ya know?” Beca explains.  “We both know how great I am with emotions.” 

Chloe feels herself chuckle.  That does kind of make sense.

Then, to her surprise, Beca takes her hand.

“I’m really sorry for letting you think this whole thing was one-sided for so long.  I tried to tell you so many times in the past few days, but...words are hard.  I spent an embarrassing amount of time standing outside your door the other night trying to work up the courage to tell you.  Not my proudest moment.”

Chloe giggles, picturing how infuriated the tiny brunette must have gotten each time she chickened out.

“So,” Beca continues, “I figured since I’m not the best with words, I’d let the music tell you instead.”

Of course Beca would do that.  Express her feelings with a song.  In a language they both understand.  This whole thing is just... _perfect_.

Chloe looks into those steely blue eyes.  “Beca, you...you really want to be with me?”

Beca squeezes her hand.  “Chlo, I really want to be with you.”  She takes a breath.  “I might mess up sometimes, but I’m going to try to get it right.  Because I think you’re worth it.”

Chloe’s heart flutters in her chest.  She honestly might cry at this point.  She has been waiting so long for this.

“So can you, like, kiss me now?” Beca asks shyly.  “Cuz I’ve kinda been waiting for this since we hooked up at Cobalt.”

Chloe smiles so wide that it hurts her cheeks.  She stands and gently grabs Beca’s waist, pulling her close.  She feels Beca’s breath on her face and it makes her skin tingle.  Then, she leans in and captures Beca’s lips in her own.

_Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning to do one more chapter after this that I will probably post later in December. It's just going to be fluff, but it'll still be fun!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final chapter!
> 
> I just want to take a moment to thank all of you guys for sticking with this even though I take forever to update. I never thought this little idea I had in my head would come to be something you guys looked forward to reading. Your kudos and comments were amazing and I am so thankful for each and every one of them.

Chloe sits in Aubrey’s office at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves.  She feels herself bite her lip, a nervous habit she still can’t manage to break even though she’s tried for years.  The room is silent, aside from the sound of a pen that she must have unconsciously stolen from the blonde’s desk tapping against her leg. 

Two years.  It has been two years since Chloe was here last, blurting out her love for her best friend.  Two years since she changed her life forever.

It has been just under two years since Beca played her that song in her studio.  Since they started their romantic relationship.  One that Chloe thanks the universe for every day.

“Chloe, put it down!  Do you want to get ink all over your dress?” Aubrey hisses from across the room as she puts on her heels.

Chloe guiltily looks down at her flowy white dress that shimmers in the sunlight coming through the window.  She can’t help but smile, though.  Because this dress is amazing.  And this _day_ is amazing.  Because she’s about to marry the love of her life.  She’s about to marry Beca Mitchell.

“Sorry.”

“Are you okay?” Aubrey asks as she makes her way to the desk.

“Yeah, just a little anxious,” Chloe admits.  “Good anxious though.”

“This wedding is going to be _perfect_ ,” the blonde declares.

 

* * *

 

_Chloe sat on the couch with her students’ latest round of ungraded worksheets scattered in front of her.  Except not much work was getting done due to the fact that she had been checking the clock every two minutes.  Because soon, Beca would be home from work.  And then, they could go on their first real date._

_Last night, after Beca had finally professed her love to Chloe, the tiny brunette pulled away before things got too heated.  She had insisted on taking Chloe on an official date before they did anything more, because “that’s, like, usually how real couples do it, right?”_

_Although she was a bit disappointed, Chloe thought it was cute that Beca was trying so hard.  So she tried her best to be patient for the next twenty four hours.  Except it was really hard._

_Finally, she heard a key turning a lock and a door opening.  She sprung up from the couch and excitedly bounded towards the front hallway._

_She approached Beca with a smile that was a little too wide.  “Hi.”_

_“Hey,” Beca greeted cautiously, clearly noticing the extra large grin._

_“You’re home.”_

_“I am.”_

_Chloe’s smile got even wider.  “That means I get to kiss you.”  God, those words felt so good coming out of her mouth._

_She caught Beca’s cheeks turn a shade of pink as the cautious grimace morphed into a smile._

_“I’m waiting,” the tiny brunette prompted._

_Without wasting any time, Chloe pulled her into a kiss.  And it felt damn good._

_“I-I could get used to that,” Beca sputtered, flustered.  Chloe noticed that her cheeks were now even more pink and she couldn’t help but giggle._

_“Well get used to it, Mitchell.”  She gave her new girlfriend another peck on the lips._

_“You ready for dinner?” Beca asked once she pulled away._

_“Yes I am,” Chloe said as she grabbed her jacket.  “And I’m even more ready for what we’ll be doing after dinner.”_

_“Dinner first,” Beca stated as she handed Chloe her purse.  “I’m really fucking hungry.”_

 

* * *

  

“I actually have a surprise for you,” Aubrey mentions as she plops into her desk chair.

Chloe bounces up and down in her chair.  “Yay!  What is it?”

Aubrey reaches under her desk and pulls out a gift box.  “A present from the grumpy little munchkin.”

Too excited to reprimand Aubrey, Chloe grabs the box, unties the bow, and pulls off the lid.  Her mouth drops open when she sees what’s inside.  Sitting in the box is a cute little fox stuffed animal.  She takes it out and stares at it in awe.

“Not what I was expecting...” Aubrey comments, unimpressed.

Chloe then notices there is a note lingering in the bottom of the box and pulls it out.

_I may not be rich and famous, but you’re all I need._

_\- Beca_

Chloe feels tears fill her eyes.  She pictures Beca gagging at how cheesy the whole thing is while writing it, but doing it anyway because she knows Chloe will love it.  Other than the song, it's probably the cheesiest thing she has ever done for her...and she fucking proposed to her under a sunset.

“Chlo?  Chloe, what’s wrong?”

Too overwhelmed with emotion to explain, Chloe grabs her phone from Aubrey’s desk and pulls up Beca’s contact.

 _“Amy - No, Amy, I’m not calling a getaway car.”_ The volume of Beca’s voice goes up and down as she talks.  She is clearly fighting Amy for the phone.  _“No, it’s Chloe!”_

 _“Hi Chloe!”_ Amy and a few of the other Bellas call in the background.

 _“God, just give me a minute,”_ Beca grunts.  Her voice then returns to normal.  _“Hello, bride.  You know we just talked on the phone, like, two hours ago, right?”_

“Becs.”

 _“Are you crying?  Oh my god, you’ve changed your mind.  It’s finally hit you that you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life stuck with me, hasn’t it?”_  

“You remembered,” Chloe whimpers.

_“Remembered what?  The rings?  Yeah, I’m surprised, too.  Thank god Aubrey reminded me.”_

“No, silly!  The fox.”

_“Oh, that.  Yeah.  I mean, I did promise you, so...”_

“I love you so much,” Chloe breathes.

_“I love you, too, babe.”_

Chloe hears abrupt movement on the other end.

 _“Ow!  Stop poking my face with things!”_ Beca hisses.

 _“We need to finish your makeup!”_ It comes from Stacy.

 _“You can wait until I’m done talking to Chloe.”_   After more shuffling on the other end, Beca’s voice returns.  _“Can you hurry up and finish getting ready?  I just want to marry you already so I can take this dumb dress off.”_

“Um excuse me, I will be the one taking your dress off later,” Chloe teases.

“Hello?  I’m still here!” Aubrey points out.

_“See you in a little bit, okay?”_

_“Mitchell!  Makeup time!”_

There is more shuffling on the other end, as well as Beca yelling, and the line goes dead.  Chloe giggles as she places her phone back down on the desk.

“Remind me to yell at her for making you cry,” Aubrey grumbles as she grabs a bag from the other side of the room.  “Now we have to fix your makeup.”

As Aubrey is finishing up her mascara, Chloe sees movement out of the corner of her eye.  She directs her gaze to the doorway and smiles when she sees six Bella heads pop into the room: Stacy, Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy, Flo, Jessica, and Ashley.

 

* * *

 

_They had decided to wait to tell the Bellas.  Chloe had felt bad about keeping something this huge from them, but it didn’t feel right to tell them in the group chat or individually over the phone.  This was her family and the news was special.  It needed to be delivered the right way._

_Beca was no help when it came to deciding how they would break the news to the Bellas.  She wasn’t very eager to spill the beans, and Chloe knew that she was willing to keep it private for as long as they could.  It’s not that Beca wanted to keep secrets or anything.  She was just dreading all of the excited chaos it would cause and the attention it would bring._

_So, it was up to Chloe to decide what to do.  Finally, it came to her._

_The Bellas were set to have another reunion at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves just seven weeks after Beca had played the song.  What better way to tell her sisters than in person, all at once around a cozy fire or gathered around the table at the mess hall?  The idea was perfect.  They just had to keep it quiet for seven weeks._

_Doing that was a success, but keeping it a secret while surrounded by the Bellas at the lodge, well, that was another challenge._

_Chloe really struggled when it came to hiding her relationship.  Numerous times, she had caught herself reaching for Beca’s hand.  She even tripped over her words once or twice when she caught herself about to call Beca “baby” in front of everyone.  Turns out, suppressing her love for Beca Mitchell was basically impossible._

_It’s fair to say she was overjoyed when she caught Beca alone, hiding behind the shed where the staff kept the life jackets for the lake._

_“Hey, you,” Chloe greeted._

_“Hey.”_

_“Whatcha doing over here?  You hiding?”_

_“Just needed a breather.”_

_“Sounds about right.”_

_Chloe quickly looked behind her shoulder, making sure the coast was clear.  Then she wrapped her arms around Beca’s tiny torso and hugged her from behind, giving her a gentle peck on the cheek._

_“This is hard,” she admitted._

_Clearly hearing the exhaustion in her girlfriend’s voice, Beca turned to face her.  “What is?”_

_“Not getting to be close to you.”  Chloe grabbed her girlfriend’s hands and intertwined their fingers together.  “Not getting to touch you.”_

_“You’re the one who wanted to, what was it?  ‘Wait for the right time,’” the tiny brunette pointed out._

_“I know.  I just want it to be special.  Because this,” Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek again, “is special.”_

_The tiny brunette rolled her eyes.  “Don’t get cheesy on me, Beale.”_

_“Deep down, you like it when I’m cheesy.”_

_“Uh huh, sure,” Beca played._

_“Know what else you like?” Chloe asked as she inched closer, leaving almost no space in between their faces._

_“Invading my personal space?”_

_“Becs!” Chloe whined._

_“Okay, what else do I like?”_

_“When I kiss you.”  Chloe leaned in and kissed those lips that she couldn’t seem to get enough of.  It had been seven weeks and it still hadn’t gotten old.  She didn’t think it ever would._

_“Aca-lesbians,” whispered a nearby Australian accent._

_They pulled away from each other and looked up to see Fat Amy standing a few feet away with wide eyes._

_“Amy -” Beca started._

_“I knew it!”_

_“Amy don’t -” Chloe tried, but it was too late._

_The Tasmanian took off vertical running, shouting “Bloe is real!  Bloe is real!” to the entire camp._

_“So much for being like a safe,” Beca huffed._

_“I guess the right time is now,” Chloe laughed._

_*****_

_They had waited for all of the Bellas to gather around the patio, which took a matter of seconds.  Chloe quickly found herself to be the subject of various sets of eager eyes, except for Aubrey’s eyes, which looked relieved that she no longer had to keep the secret, and Beca’s eyes, which were filled with dread._

_“Is it true?” Flo demanded._

_“Are you two actually doing the dirty now?” Stacy asked._

_“I’m telling you!  Chloe is the strawberry in Beca’s shortcake!” Fat Amy insisted._

_“C’mon, Chlo, the suspense is killing us,” Legacy nagged, trying and failing to hide her huge smile._

_“Yo, she’s right.  Spit it out, girl,” Cynthia Rose chimed in._

_The Bellas quieted down and stared at Chloe and Beca in anticipation._

_Chloe paused for dramatic effect.  “It’s true!” she squealed as she intertwined her fingers with Beca’s.  “We’re together!”_

_“Oh-em-aca-gee!” Legacy shrieked._

_“Told you!” Amy grunted._

_“‘Bout time!” Ashley mumbled._

_“There IS an aca-god!” Stacy whooped._

_“What a surprise,” Aubrey groaned sarcastically._

_“When did this happen?”_

_“How did it happen?”_

_“Yeah, who asked who out?”_

_“Have you done the dirty yet?”_

_“Does Beca actually have a romantic side?”_

_“Can you finally tell us who is the top and who is the bottom?”_

_Chloe looked over to the tiny brunette, who looked like she was being cornered by a pack of wild bulls.  Chloe couldn’t help but giggle.  Unlike her girlfriend, she was enjoying this.  She was happy to show her new relationship off._

_“What the hell have you gotten us into?” Beca groaned._

_“A happily ever after,” Chloe thought, but she didn’t dare say it aloud.  It was definitely too soon for that.  But she knew it would come._

 

* * *

 

“Ladies, status report,” Aubrey demands.

“Your princess charming is a real piece of work,” Amy huffs to Chloe as she puts her earrings back in her ears.  “It was like wrestling a dingo that had too much Redbull.”

“She _does_ carry a lot of muscle power for such a tiny person,” Cynthia Rose agrees.

“We gave her a strong drink and then Amy _still_ had to pin her down while we did her makeup.  But as instructed, Beca is finally aisle ready,” Stacie informs them.  “We left Legacy in there to make sure she doesn’t put on her headphones and ruin her hair.”

“You left her alone with Legacy?!  The biggest aca-pushover we know?” Aubrey exclaims.

“Ay, we’re not idiots!” Flo retorts.

“We left Lilly with them just to be safe.  She has her throwing stars.  Becs won’t mess with that,” Stacie clarifies.

Chloe giggles.  “My poor little DJ.”

“And how’s the crowd looking?” Aubrey demands.

“All relevant guests seem to be accounted for,” Ashley reports.

“The Beales and Mitchells are all in good spirits and getting along, as predicted,” Jessica continues.

“And Jesse is walking around making jokes about being Beca’s ‘best bro,’ also as predicted,” Ashley adds.

“And Benji?”

“In position at the altar,” Stacie replies.

“Excellent work, ladies.”  Aubrey glances at the clock on the wall.  “We have T-minus ten minutes until the lovebirds fly.  Grab the little gremlin and get her into position.”

The Bellas nod and give a quick and teary goodbye to Chloe before exiting the room.  Aubrey closes the door behind them.

Chloe looks at her own reflection in the mirror and her best friend quickly joins her.

“Look at that.  That quirky little redhead I met my freshman year at Barden is about to be married.  Where did the time go?” Aubrey says.

“Now you know how I felt at _your_ wedding,” Chloe snorts.

Aubrey pulls her best friend into a gentle hug, careful not to mess up her dress.  “I’m so happy for you, Chlo.”

“Thanks, Bree.”

 

* * *

 

  _The day after Beca had played the song, Chloe had called Aubrey in tears._

“Oh my god, Chlo, are you crying?”

_“Yeah,” Chloe sniffled._

_“_ What did the oompa loompa do to you now?” _Aubrey demanded as the volume of her voice increased._ “I’ll fly all the way over there to put her in her place.”

_“No, Aubrey, it’s okay.”_

“I’m serious, Chloe.  I’m so done with her shit -”

_“Aubrey, relax,” Chloe cut her off.  “This is happy crying.”_

“What?”

_“She loves me back, Bree.  Beca Mitchell actually loves me back.”  The words still didn’t feel real coming out of her mouth._

“Before I say anything else I’d like to know how you came to this conclusion.”

_“She told me.  Last night.  In plain English,” Chloe explained, then paused to wipe her tears.  But she knew it was pointless, because more came after what she said next.  “Bree, me and Beca are, like, together.  Like a real couple.”_

_Aubrey gave a sigh of relief on the other end._ “Thank god.  The gremlin finally did something right.”

_“We’re not going to tell any of the other Bellas yet, but I wanted to tell you.”_

“Well I’d hope that as your best friend I’d be an exception,” _Aubrey laughed._

_“I’m just like, so happy, Aubrey.”_

“I glad that you’re happy, Chlo.  I really am.”

 

* * *

 

Aubrey gives her one last once-over and quickly fixes a wrinkle in the skirt of her dress.  “You sure you’re okay?  You have a weird look on your face.”

“Yeah, I’m great.  Promise,” Chloe assures her, then hesitates before speaking again. “Actually, Bree, do you mind giving me a minute?”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?  Because then we’ll have to fix your makeup.  Again.”

Chloe laughs.  Typical Aubrey, always worrying about every detail.

“I’m not gonna cry, Bree.  I just want to clear my head.”

“Okay.  I’ll go check on the girls.”

Chloe hears the clicking of Aubrey’s heels get quieter and quieter as the blonde leaves the room.

Chloe looks at her reflection in the mirror once more.  She still can’t wrap her head around it all.  How she’s about to marry the woman she thought would never love her back.  She knows she’s the luckiest person in the world.

“I vow to always provide a base note when you need something to ground you.  And I vow to always try to harmonize with you, even if you’re hitting a note that’s not in my belt.”

She smiles at her reflection, proud of that snippet of her vows.  She knows it’s cheesy, but it’s extremely fitting for their relationship, especially since it started with music.

After another minute or so, there is a gentle knock at the door.

“Chlo, you ready?”

Chloe smiles wide as she turns to Aubrey who is standing in the doorway.

“I have been for years.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any last words?


End file.
